Harry's True Love
by pandoraelfin
Summary: Harry Potter is the Chosen One. He is destined for greatness. He has it all. Until he meets the other Chosen One. The girl also destined for greatness. The girl who he isn't meant to love. Two different worlds, two different upbringings, two different houses, two different destinies, but one love that burns brighter than any Patronus charm he can conjure. This is their story.
1. Chapter 1

"Go to bed! Both of you!" Hermione shrieked, tears cascading down her cheeks. Harry and Ron ran up the stairs, away from her, shaking their heads.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered as he strode through the corridor.

"I'm going to see if she's okay," Harry decided, turning on his heel.

"Good luck with that," Ron called after him as he walked back into the ballroom. Harry spotted her immediately on the stairs, seated and crying. He bit his lip in regret. He didn't know what he had done to upset her so, but he knew he had to make it right. As he descended down the steps, he nearly crashed into none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Watch where you're going, Potter!" Malfoy sneered. His date rolled her eyes in boredom.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry spat.

"That's no way to talk in front of a lady, Potter. I think you should apologize." He gestured to the girl still hanging on his arm. Harry tried to look past her to find Hermione.

"That's okay," the girl murmured, clearly unfazed by the animosity between them. "I don't really care what he does,"

"Now if you'll excuse me," Harry began to slide past the two. Draco gripped his shoulder, stopping him.

"Your presence pisses me off, Potter." He whispered coldly.

"Are you done ignoring your date to annoy me or is this going to be an all night thing?" Harry replied smoothly. He glanced over at the inattentive girl in Draco's possession. She was twirling a strand of her blonde hair around, her blue eyes focused on some patch in the wall or something. There was no denying she was pretty, but clearly a Slytherin and also clearly a bitch. Draco released his arm, obviously noticing for the first time his date's complete disinterest.

"Come on, Pandora," he coaxed her onto the dance floor, shooting Harry a death stare as they walked off. Harry sighed, suddenly exhausted from the night. He searched for Hermione again, but she had disappeared.

"Hi Harry!" Neville appeared almost instantaneously, a dopey grin on his face.

"Hey, Neville. Enjoying yourself?" Harry asked, with a smirk. He had seen Neville and Ginny on the dance floor practically the whole night. Harry, in comparison, had spent almost the entire time seated in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. He hadn't really had high expectations for the Yule Ball; despite the fact that just a few days earlier he had conquered a challenge involving a fierce dragon, he still was unable to find a suitable date. He had unsuccessfully asked Cho Chang, and now as he watched her sparkle in Cedric Diggory's arms, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and never leave. But Neville was chattering away, practically dancing out of his shoes as he spoke to Harry.

After thirty minutes of conversation, the DJ announced he would be playing the last song. Neville strode off eagerly to continue his dancing and Harry, grateful at his chance for his escape, practically sprinted out of the ballroom. He walked out the corridor, heading to the Gryffindor common room. As he headed outside into the snowy night, he spotted a lone girl sitting on one of the benches, her head tilted up at the sky. He recognized her blonde hair, and almost laughed aloud as he realized the Slytherin girl had her tongue out. She was trying to catch a snowflake.

He thought of all the times as a child he had sat outside and attempted to catch a snowflake on his tongue. It was such a Muggle thing to do, and before he knew it, he was chuckling. The girl turned her head suddenly, realizing she was not alone. When she saw Harry standing there, she rolled her eyes and scoffed at him.

"Got nothing better to do than sneak up on unsuspecting girls, huh?" she asked, turning her attention back to the falling snow.

"I've just never seen a wizard so enticed by snow. That seems to be more of a Muggle trait, wouldn't you think?" Harry teased in response. She snapped her head to face him, her blue eyes lit with anger.

"And you would know, having spent so much time around those…delightful…creatures," she drawled, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Oh yes, well I would say it was the best time of my life. Such a pleasure." He joked, walking over and seating himself on the bench next to her.

"I just like snow," she admitted sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll say. You were paying more attention to the snow in the minutes I saw you than you were to your date the whole night," Harry laughed.

"You did not see me the whole night," she jabbed, laughing along with him. "Besides, if you had gone with Draco as your date, I'm sure you wouldn't have been all too interested in hearing all about his father's latest discovery nonstop, now would you?"

"If I had gone with Draco as my date, I fear we would have done something far more violent than talking about his father's discoveries," Harry shook his head at the thought, his shoulders shaking with a mixture of laughter and cold.

"Ah, touché," she bit her lip, looking at the sky.

"Have you ever built a snowman?" he asked her suddenly. She looked at him, her eyes ice cold blue, her mouth trembling just the slightest bit from the chattering of her teeth.

"No, what is that?"

"I'll show you," he got up off the bench and began to reach for the snow. She took out her wand.

"Here, I can-"

"No, no, no," Harry interrupted, putting his hand out in front of her wand. "No magic. Come here." She got up off the bench and crawled down next to Harry, her eyes filled with confusion. He began to roll up the snow into a ball. She watched with more attention than he had seen in her eyes so far. He began to build the base, showing her with each step what he was doing.

"Well, come on then. Help me," he gestured to the snow. She began to build alongside him, and soon enough the two were deep in concentration, their hands grabbing at the snow and patting at it, building the greatest snowman. When they had finished, they were both chattering and shivering. They stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"Is it done?" she questioned.

"Almost," he stepped forward and plucked two buttons off of his coat and stuck them on the snowman's head. He fished around in his pocket to find his red handkerchief, and rolled it into a line to make a mouth. He gazed at the snowman again.

"He needs a nose," he decided, searching his pockets.

"Here, I've got it," she reached into her hair and pulled out a barrette. She stuck it in the middle of the snowman's face. They both admired their creation for a moment in silence. Finally, he spoke, breaking the spell.

"What do you think?"

"Not too bad," she grinned.

"If we had a carrot, it would've looked better," he explained.

"A carrot?" she knitted her brows in confusion. He began to explain, then shook his head, laughing.

"Never mind. I think he's perfect as he is,"

"I agree." She nodded her head, then turned to face him. She took out her hand, "Pandora Elfin."

"Harry Potter," they shook. A smiled appeared on his lips as he teased, "Elfin…like a house elf?" She opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it. She began to giggle, then turned to make eye contact, her eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, like a house elf."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Harry sprinted down the corridor towards Gryffindor Common Room. The mermaid's song still singing in his ears, he was practically flying. That was it! He had discovered the second task! He couldn't wait to see the look on his friends' faces when he told them what he had figured out. (With the help of Cedric Diggory's hint, and Moaning Myrtle's as well, of course). As he raced down the hallway, he found his mind so preoccupied with the message he had heard that he wasn't paying attention; next thing he knew, he was running smack into Pandora.

"Ow!" she yelped, falling back.

"I'm so sorry," he reached out a hand to steady her. She recognized him immediately, and after taking one look at his flushed cheeks and damp hair, she let out an entertained laugh.

"You're wet," she observed playfully.

"I…I took a bath," he explained quickly.

"Some bath," she teased.

"I'm really sorry I knocked into you," he apologized again.

"I guess I'll forgive you this time," she smiled and shrugged.

"I'll see you around!" he began to run again, towards the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Yeah, see you!" she called after him, laughing to herself at his speedy exit. She continued on her way until she had reached the Slytherin Common Room. She murmured the Parseltongue password and almost crashed into Draco Malfoy upon entering.

"Pandora," he nodded to her coldly.

"Draco," she greeted, scooting past him quickly. She headed over to the girls' side, already able to hear her best friends laughing loudly.

"Hey girl," Viola greeted, her green eyes shining with tears of laughter.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Pandora asked, flopping onto the bed next to Bridget.

"Viola is officially a serial dater," Bridget explained, beginning to giggle again. "She went out with two different boys in one night and, after the date was nearly over, only realized at that moment that they were twins!"

"Sounds like something that happens often," Pandora teased. Viola flipped her hair and winked, laughing. She was known for being flirtatious and sociable, constantly off on a date with a variety of boys. When asked her type, Viola often answered with, "male".

"You're one to talk," Viola laughed. "Wasn't it you who went to the Yule Ball with none other than Draco Malfoy?"

"Oh, yes! Details please!" Bridget squealed, practically leaping onto Pandora.

"Where should I start? When he absolutely bored me to death with talk of politics or when he tried to suffocate me with his mouth?" Pandora responded dramatically. The girls howled with laughter.

"I heard from Crabbe that Draco was bragging about you two going to second base," Viola revealed, a mischievious sparkle in her eye.

"Ew, gross!" Pandora grimaced. "He leaned in to snog at the end of the night and I turned my head so he just got my cheek."

"You're ruthless!" Viola cackled, highfiving her. Bridgt giggled, shaking her head.

"Have you got something to say?" Pandora asked.

"I just can't wait to tell this story at your wedding," she admitted with a smug smile.

"My-my what? Have you gone mad?"

"Pandora, admit it. You two grew up together. We've all known that he's had a crush on you for ages and your families are dying to set you two up," Bridget insisted.

"Oh, of course! I forgot our families practice arranged marriages!" Pandora slapped her head mockingly, as if finally remembering where she had put her keys.

"Not arranged, but definitely encouraged." Bridget said with a shrug. "You two are destined for one another. You both are excellent wizards, pure-blood of course. You both come from similar backgrounds, wealthy and powerful families. You both are-"

"Enough!" Pandora raised a hand to stop her. "This is silly. Don't you agree, Vi?" Violet bit her lip. Pandora paused, awaiting her concurrence. But Viola shook her head.

"I mean, your dad definitely wants you to marry him. And like, you've both been friends forever…" Viola began.

"You two are ridiculous, I'm out of here." Pandora said abruptly, getting up from the bed and stalking out the door. She strolled along outside, breathing in the fresh air and thinking about the year so far. She thought about the Tri-Wizard tournament, with its challenges and dangers. She found herself wondering how she herself would fare. She had always considered herself brave, a daredevil even, thrusting herself into peril in order to achieve rewards. But was she really brave? Gryffindors were known for their bravery, and she instead was a Slytherin. What was the difference, really? She was willing to chase dragons, cast complicated spells, and even witness death in order to come out on top. But maybe that was the problem. She would do anything for a reward, yes, but would she do the same for nothing in return? As she pondered this, she almost collided into Draco.

"You alright?" Draco asked, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"I'm fine, thank you," Pandora replied quickly. There was an awkward pause as the two looked at one another. Draco sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Have you been avoiding me?" he asked.

"What? No," Pandora answered unconvincingly.

"You can just admit it," he persisted, his eyebrows rising with doubt.

"Well…not really. A little," she admitted, looking at the floor. "I just didn't want things to be weird…since the ball…"

"They aren't," he declared.

"Oh, okay," she smiled tightly, aching to get away.

"You looked good," he said suddenly. "At the ball, I mean. Well, you look good now, too. You always look good."

"Oh," Pandora hesitated, feeling an uncomfortable hot flash arising. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he purred, stepping closer to her. He reached out to twirl a stray strand of hair, his electric blue eyes eyeing her up and down.

Harry was exhausted. He slipped out of the party, skittering down the corridor and gulping in the fresh air. He hoped no one would notice his absence. He had already developed an excuse for when Hermionie asked where he had gone off to. _Just needed a little bit of air,_ he would say. _Very crowded in the common room. Even Tri Wizard Champions need air, am I right?_ She wouldn't buy it, but he had lost the will to care. Besides, he hadn't even seen neither her nor Ron in the throng of people cheering and celebrating. Everyone was happy for him, even making bets on him. But he was scared. He didn't want to be in this tournament any more than he wanted to be in Potions class, which with Professor Snape as a teacher, he despised. As he walked along the corridor, he looked out onto the campus. He spotted Draco Malfoy almost right away, as he leaned over a blonde girl. The wind carried wisps of their conversation to Harry's ears.

"Come on, Pandora…"

"I won't tell you again, Draco,"

"You're cute when you're mad…"

"I'm even cuter after I kick you in the balls," Harry laughed at that, recognizing the dry humor of the girl he had met the other night. He watched as Draco came closer to her face and she raised her hand up to stop him.

"Quit acting like an idiot," Pandora spat, rolling her eyes.

"I don't get why you think this is such a big deal," Draco responded.

"Draco, read my lips." She enunciated clearly. "I'm. Not. Interested."

"You're a prude," he snarled, stalking off.

"Good luck getting girls with that attitude!" She called out cheerfully after him, waving rapidly. He flipped her off in response. She giggled to herself, then began to walk off.

"Pandora!" Harry yelled. She looked up in surprise.

"Harry," she greeted, a smile appearing on her face.

"Wait right there," Harry told her. She saluted in response. He ran down the corridor and skipped down the stairs until he had reached her in the courtyard. She looked at him, her arms crossed over her chest, a half smile on her lips.

"So, done meeting with your boyfriend, or?" Harry joked. She laughed, lightly pushing his shoulder.

"Boys are idiots," she announced.

"I agree," he smirked. The two began to walk in unison, every so often glancing sideways at one another.

"So what were you rushing about for?" she asked suddenly. "Nearly sent me to the Infirmary."

"Sorry about that, by the way," Harry apologized, laughing. She raised a hand to dismiss his apology.

"Quite alright." He took a deep breath and turned to her.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Mm, I like where this is going," her eyes dazzled with excitement. "For you, yes. I can keep a secret." Harry felt a blush creep to his cheeks.

"I discovered the second task," he confided.

"What? That's great!" She grinned.

"It's mermaids. They've got something and I have to retrieve it,"

"Do you know what you're going to do?" she asked.

"Not yet," he admitted. "I looked in the library for a bit, but nothing really helped. Usually Hermione helps me with this sort of thing but she went with McGonagall and I haven't seen her since."

"You'll figure it out," she encouraged him.

"I hope,"

"You will," she insisted. "You took on a dragon, for Pete's sake. I'm sure you can take on a few mermaids. As long as you don't fall in love with them or something,"

"I'll try not to," he chuckled. "But the dragon…that was sheer luck."

"Nah, it was bad ass," she said. He laughed.

"Well, thank you,"

"No problem! Congrats on that, by the way. Any other fourth year probably would've wet his pants or thrown up, whichever came first."

"Haha, you think?"

"I don't think, I know!"

"I was actually terrified," he confessed. He looked at her. She was waiting patiently for him to continue. He took a deep breath. "I don't know why I was chosen, or even how. I didn't want to be in the competition. Then next thing I know, Dumbledore is calling my name and everyone is saying I did it for attention. First, everyone hates me and now they all are betting on me. They all just expect me to handle it."

"Haven't they always?" she said suddenly. A look of despondence had fallen onto her face. "Expected you to do it? Or something like that, anyways. You're destined for greatness. Isn't that what they tell you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "They do. All the time."

"You can take it, they say. You were born with a gift, they tell you. Like that's what it is." Harry noticed a tone of sadness in her voice. He simply murmured his agreement. She sighed, seeming sleepy all of a sudden.

"I should probably go," she stopped walking abruptly. Then she smiled. "Sorry, Harry. No time for snowmen today."

"I'll find you later, House Elf." He teased. "Maybe next time we can have a snowball fight instead." She winked in response and strutted off, not looking back. Harry watched her go, a feeling of warmth tugging at him as her blonde hair swished and her words stayed with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Harry wanted to slam his head on the desk. He sat in the library, thumbing through book after book, trying to find a solution. The task was tomorrow and he still had no idea how he would hold his breath underwater for the allotted time. He was nervously sweating as he read spell book after spell book, searching for a magical solution. He checked the clock, realizing it was almost curfew. He rubbed his temple, trying to appease his throbbing headache. As he looked up, he spotted Pandora slipping out of the restricted section. His heart thumped as he stood up quickly, approaching her immediately.

"Hey," she greeted, a guilty look coming on her face. She knew she had been caught.

"How did you get in there?" he hissed, looking around to see if anyone had noticed her.

"Perks of being too scary for confrontation," she confessed, motioning to the weasel-like lady in charge of securing it. "She won't come up to me 'cause she's scared I'll bewitch her."

"Could you help me with something?" He asked desperately.

"What's up?"

"Could you see if you could find any sort of spell that could help me hold my breath for an hour? I've been trying to find something for hours but I just can't…and the task…it's tomorrow…"

"Okay, okay. Just watch my back, okay? The librarian may be scared of me but unfortunately not everyone is," she spun around and slithered back in, disappearing in between the dark bookshelves. Harry stood as her look out, noticing the way the librarian nervously quivered as she saw Pandora reenter the restricted section. A few minutes passed and Pandora did not reappear. Harry began to grow nervous as the time ticked by. Soon enough curfew was upon them, then past, and Pandora had still not come out.

"Pandora!" Harry hissed. He heard the door to the library open.

"Oi! Who's in here?" A familiar voice called out. "Students out of bed past curfew?" Harry bit his lip in horror. It was Filch! He cowered against the door to the restricted section, praying he wouldn't come close. He heard the thump of his footsteps as he clomped through each aisle of bookshelves, his lantern bright against the surrounding darkness, as he looked for who was still in the library. The door behind Harry opened abruptly and he nearly fell over. Pandora raised her empty hands and opened her mouth to explain, but Harry slapped his hand over her mouth to stop her. He mouthed Filch's name and her eyes widened in fear.

She motioned to the back door. He crept towards it, avoiding the ray of light coming from Filch's flashlight. He slowly opened the door, waving at her to follow. The door creaked and Filch's flashlight flew onto Harry. He raced out of the library before Filch could process who he was and flew to the common room. When he had finally reached it, he was breathless. He felt a twang of guilt as he wondered if Pandora had made it out of there without getting caught. Pushing the thought of Pandora away, he decided to go to the library first thing in the morning and continue his search.

Harry was asleep. His face pasted to the desk, books surrounding him, when he was awoken. He recalled forcing himself out of bed and to the library but upon reaching it, he must've fallen asleep. He opened his eyes and came face to face with Dobby.

"Ah!" He shrieked. Dobby apologized profusely for scaring him. Harry shook him off, checking the clock and realizing with horror he had only ten minutes before the task. And still no spell. He began to panic, expressing his dilemma to Dobby as he threw his jacket on.

"Has Mr. Potter heard of Gillyweed?" Dobby asked suddenly.

He had done it! And gotten second place nonetheless! Harry was practically skipping as he walked back to his room, remembering the cheers of the audience. A hand reached out from behind the wall and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, yanking him. He tripped over his feet and practically fell into Pandora, an angry look on her face as she let go of his shirt.

"You left me!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, the guilt from the other night bubbling up again.

"I got detention," she scowled, her eyes ablaze with anger. "And you just got away, scot free, forgetting that I was in there to do you a bloody favor."

"I'm really sorry, Pandora. I know I got you in trouble. I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you," he said. She appeared to soften a bit, her shoulders relaxing. He took that as a good sign and continued. "After all, what I did was completely wrong. You were helping me and being a good friend and I-"

"Whoa, stop." She raised her hand quickly, a look of disgust crossing her face. "We aren't friends, Potter. I barely know you."

"What?" Harry was shocked.

"You don't know me and I don't know you. And I sure as hell want to keep it that way." She spat. Harry felt like he had been slapped across the face. He swallowed a lump in his throat and knitted his eyebrows together in anger.

"Fine," he snapped, turning on his heel and storming off. He couldn't believe how quick she was to throw their friendship away. Or, really, deny its existence. He could still hear the venom in her voice and it stabbed at him like a knife to his ribs. He felt his good mood disparate as he continued to the Gryffindor common room, his mind replaying the fight over and over.

Pandora sighed and inhaled deeply. But no matter how much air she sucked in, she couldn't shake the feeling of suffocation that was tightening around her chest. She blinked back tears as she languidly walked back to her common room, her feet dragging behind her. When she finally reached it, she strode past her two friends chattering excitedly and flopped onto her bed, her blonde hair splayed over the pillow. She couldn't escape the thought of Harry, with his aqua eyes and half smile that practically forced her to smile in return. She didn't mean to blow up the way she had, but she knew what the expectations were for her. And becoming friends with Harry Potter was not one of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Have you seen this garbage?" Bridget cackled the next morning, flinging a newspaper at Pandora's head as she walked into Potions class. Pandora yawned, her eyes swollen from crying the night before. She picked up the paper, flipping through it.

"What am I looking for?" She asked, disinterested.

"Rita Skeeter's article. Here, give me," Bridget snatched it from her, flicking through the pages until she had reached it. She handed it to Pandora, a smug grin appearing on her face. Pandora skimmed it, bored and longing to be back in bed. Her eyes skipped around and she thought she might fall asleep until she saw Harry's name. She stopped, her eyes widening. Then she circled back to the top and read the article, her eyebrows rising in disbelief as she swallowed every word. When she had finished scanning it, her head hurt and her eyes watered. Harry and Hermione? In love? Bridget began to degrade Hermione, but all Pandora could think about were Harry's hands running through Hermione's wavy brown hair.

"Yeah, like that Mudblood could get Krum and Potter." Viola ridiculed. "This is all lies."

"You think?" Pandora asked quickly, her heart thumping.

"I don't know, we know she was with Krum. And have you seen her getting all chummy with Harry? I wouldn't be surprised if they were shagging," Bridget mused.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Pandora whispered. She felt as thought she might be sick.

"Okay, new subject," Viola said. "Hey, isn't your dad coming later?"

"Oh man, that's even worse!" Pandora moaned. "I forgot he was supposed to be coming,"

"Why is your dad coming?" Bridget inquired.

"He has some business with Professor Snape, I don't know. You know how my dad is. Business affairs are meant to stay private." Pandora shrugged, turning to her cauldron. She didn't want to talk anymore. She could feel Harry's eyes on her from across the room. It was odd; she had never really noticed him before in the class. She had obviously known he was in it with her, however before now, she had skipped over him and never dwelled on him. But now it was like she couldn't see anyone else. And it was driving her mad.

"You three, separate." Professor Snape ordered. Ron and Harry got up from their desks and were moved to different areas where they could not talk. Pandora felt a twinge of satisfaction as she saw Hermione's shoulders sink. Served her right. Pandora longed to slip an acne potion into her drink.

"Pandora Clara Elfin! Shouldn't you be in class?" Pandora groaned as she shut her textbook and came face to face with her father.

"Father, classes are over for the day. I am studying." She explained slowly.

"That's my wicked witch," he patted her on the back condescendingly. Pandora rolled her eyes.

"Have you met with Professor Snape yet?" she asked.

"On my way there right now," her father said, patting his coat where he presumably was keeping valuable items. His eyes widened and he gripped her shoulder tightly. "Say, is that Potter?" she looked over to see. Harry was sauntering down the aisle, books in one hand, his tie loose and a grin on his face. He caught sight of Pandora and her father staring and slowed his pace, the smile lifting off his face immediately.

"Father, stop staring!" Pandora scowled.

"I've been waiting for this," he said quickly, straightening himself. He began to walk off before she could protest. She had no choice but to follow. "Harry Potter? So good to meet you! Arsenius Elfin, I'm a big fan." He shook Harry's hand vigorously. Pandora scoffed to herself at his duplicity.

"Nice to meet you as well, sir." Harry responded cheerfully, glancing over at Pandora curiously. "You do seem rather familiar though, have we possibly met before?"

"No, my boy. I'd remember meeting a fellow like you," Arsenius flashed a million-dollar grin. "I must be off though, I've got a meeting with Severus. But congratulations on all of your accomplishments in this tournament. It's not easy. That I know. I only hope that one day my little Pandora will win. She is an Elfin, after all." He ruffled her hair roughly, flashed another toothy smile and trotted off, his hand placed protectively over the bulge in his coat. Harry began to chuckle. Pandora shot him a glare, but it did nothing to cease him. Finally, she began to laugh as well, and soon enough the two were doubled over in hysterics.

"I mean…I wouldn't exactly describe you as 'little'" Harry teased.

"Oh, shut it, Harry," Pandora said in between giggles. They quieted down and looked at each other, smiling.

"I think I might have met your dad before," Harry said.

"No, he would've said something. He really is a…fan…" Pandora responded uneasily.

"He seems familiar, I just can't place where."

"You might've heard his name? He owns a store. It's pretty popular actually. But it's in an area you wouldn't have ever been to so I doubt you've seen it."

"Try me,"

"I know you've never gone there. He owns a store in Knockturn Alley." She revealed. Harry felt as if time froze. He recalled second year when he had a failed floo powder attempt and had been transported to a shop filled with dusty bones and devilish masks. He recalled overhearing a voice talking with Lucius Malfoy. He made the connection between the two.

"I was there, once. By accident. But I was there, at your dad's store. I overheard him talking with Lucius Malfoy. He was selling some items for him in case the Ministry checked his house…" Harry looked up at Pandora. Her face had turned stone white.

"I have to go," Pandora interrupted and ran off before he could respond. He paused, debating running up to catch up. He didn't understand her. One second they were bonding, laughing and joking around, then the next they were fighting. She confused him beyond belief and he wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey girl," Bridget said, looking up from her notebook when Pandora entered their room. She flopped onto the bed and let out a huge sigh.

"What's wrong with you?" Viola asked, pausing at dabbing on makeup to give Pandora a quizzical look.

"I just love the way my father's reputation precedes me," Pandora groaned, rolling her eyes up at the ceiling.

"You're not happy about that?" Bridget shut her book and turned to face Pandora head on, a look of disapproval crossing her face. "Pandora, your father is one of the most creative and ingenious inventors in our world. He constructs the most magnificent and useful things, and helps other wizards sell and profit from their own. I think he's brilliant."

"He constructs dark things," Pandora spat. "He sells and buys dark, evil things."

"And what's wrong with that? He is a businessman, after all." Bridget insisted.

"Yeah, I don't get what the problem is," Viola said. Pandora looked at her two best friends in disbelief. Could they really not see the issue? Were they that close-minded? Had they never stopped to think about the lives that her father and his "magnificent and useful things" ruined? But the two stared wide-eyed and expectant, oblivious to her thoughts. And she knew that she could try to explain it to them. She could attempt to detail the nights that she had spent, pondering and guessing the names of the people that had died from dark objects her father created or sold. She could tell them of the types of customers she spotted in his store, creepy, dirty strangers with spindly, greedy fingers that lurched towards each contorted mask and evil book of spells. But she knew it would do nothing. Bridget and Viola did not think the way that she did.

"Never mind," Pandora mumbled. And just like that, the two girls went back to their activities.

"Oh, by the way, Pandora, I need another one of those wake-up potion thingys," Bridget piped up. "And a de-stressor. I ran out, and I have so many tests coming up."

"Okay, it'll take me a week or two though," Pandora told her.

"Just get it to me as soon as possible, okay? I can't afford to waste time sleeping when I could be studying." She said, going back to her notes.

"How are you?" Pandora asked, turning to Viola. She stopped applying mascara and grinned mischievously.

"Never been better," she said with a wink.

"Who's the new victim?" Bridget laughed. Viola shot her a dirty look, then giggled.

"Jeremy from Herbology," she answered.

"How did it go?" Pandora asked eagerly.

"Very well. I asked him to help tutor me and we ended up shagging in the broom closet," Viola responded, cackling like a maniac.

"Ew, Vi! He's disgusting! Why would you do that?" Bridget shrieked, scrunching up her nose and throwing a pillow at her.

"You guys, it's the best thing I've ever done!" Viola's eyes shined with delight. "I won't have to take a single exam for the rest of the year! As long as I keep shagging him, of course."

"How is that supposed to work?" Pandora asked incredulously.

"Easy. Once you brew me up a couple of Polyjuice potions, I won't have to lift a finger!"

"Ah, I see," Pandora laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, can we get off this repulsive topic so I can get back to studying?" Bridget moaned.

"Suit yourself," Viola flipped her hair and went back to pulling and tugging at her face.

"I'm going to go to the library and start all of your potions," Pandora said, standing up.

"Thanks girl, you're the best!" Bridget called out after her.

"Yeah, you rock!" Viola added. As Pandora entered the library with her potion kit, she felt the discomfort from before arising again in the pit of her stomach. She dodged past a couple of Slytherin boys picking on a Hufflepuff girl and began to think about the differences between the houses. She had always been told that Slytherin house was for those who were clever and were going to succeed in life based on their own merits. She had been told by her father at a young age that Slytherins were savvy and self-serving, not letting the "shortcomings" of others get in the way.

Pandora could see the Slytherin in both Bridget and Viola. Bridget was quick to sacrifice sleep and a social life for the best grades. She worked harder than anyone Pandora had ever known to do well. She was not only an outstanding scholar but also a notable athlete, playing on the Slytherin quidditch team since her second year. Viola was gorgeous and knew it, and due to her difficulties, or rather, disinterest, in anything pertaining to school, she used her wit and charm to lure intelligent boys in order to aid her in schoolwork. It worked for her and despite the words other girls whispered about her, Viola was proud of it. She often told the other two that she was not the one at fault, instead the boys were. She spoke of foolish and conceited boys, expecting certain things from her just because they bought her presents. She explained to them that she really wasn't doing anything different. They used her for sex and she used them for grades.

Pandora's father had told her time and time again that Slytherins were the best of the houses and that she had come from a long line of prevailing wizards. She had been nervous and shaky her first year, when the sorting hat was placed on her head. She had been trembling, hoping and praying for Slytherin above all else. She knew her father would never accept any other house. The sorting hat had taken less than two seconds to decide. Pandora had breathed a sigh of relief, but not before the hat had murmured in her ear, _I have given you what you want despite the fact that it is not where I think you should belong._ Pandora had practically tore out of the seat, joining her fellow Slytherins and pushing the words the hat had whispered out of her mind before she could dwell on them any further.

She thought of her mother then. She had not done that in a while. Her mother was a brilliant potion-maker, constantly concocting purple liquids and green slimes, her glasses perpetually steamed from the beakers that she leaned over. Her mother, Belinda, had been Pandora's best friend. She had died days after Pandora received her Hogwarts letter, poisoned from a potion that was supposed to help her sleep and had instead put her to sleep forever. Pandora had been devastated, and it still made her heart lurch, even now. Her father had remarried almost instantly, taking less than five months to marry Gwendolyn, a woman who worked in the Ministry of Magic. Even after four years of marriage, Gwendolyn and Pandora did not act as mother and daughter or even friends, for that matter. As far as she was concerned, Gwendolyn was still a stranger in Pandora's life. And she planned to keep it that way.

Later that night, she spotted Draco sauntering through the hall. She lunged behind one of the columns, praying he had not seen her. They had not spoken since she had rejected him, and from the years of knowing him she knew he had not yet forgiven her. She hid for a few minutes, hardly breathing, until she heard his clomping steps fade, then disappear. She relaxed and crept out, her eyes searching to make sure he had gone. She heard someone chuckle from behind her.

"Good to know I'm not the only one you're avoiding," Harry winked, leaning against the wall nearby.

"I'm not avoiding you!" Pandora replied.

"Yes," he pushed himself off the wall and came closer to her, his face serious. "You are."

"I'm not," she insisted.

"Oh, you're not? So I'm mistaken?"

"Yes, I think you're mistaken," she nodded furiously.

"Okay, perfect. So then you won't mind hanging out with me tonight? "

"Hanging out? Where would we even go?" she asked, glancing about to see if anyone was watching. He took her hand instinctively.

"I know a place."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Oi! It's good to see you, Harry! Come on in!" Hagrid greeted, a grin on his face.

"Hi Hagrid," Harry slipped in, pulling Pandora in behind him. "This is my friend, Pandora."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Pandora," Hagrid smiled, enveloping her tiny hand in his ginormous one. She gave a timid smile. "Sit down, sit down! Make yourselves comfortable! I was just about to go walk Fang for a bit. Make yourselves a cup of tea, I'll only be gone for a bit," It was as if Hagrid could read Harry's mind. He gave him a knowing smile as he called Fang over.

"Thanks, Hagrid." Harry smiled.

"No problem at all! Hey…congrats on all of your tasks, by the way! You've been bloody brilliant!" Hagrid complimented. Harry looked down at the floor, feeling embarrassed.

"Thanks," Harry mumbled sheepishly.

"I'll be back later, make yourselves at home!" Hagrid called out, shutting the door behind him.

"He seems nice," Pandora said quietly.

"Hagrid? He's the best," Harry beamed. "I come here all the time with Ron and Hermionie. He always lets us hang out here,"

"That's fun, it's like your own secret hideaway." Pandora observed. She turned to him. "So why did you act all weird when Hagrid congratulated you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry replied. "I wasn't acting weird."

"Yes you were," she declared. "You got all uncomfortable and awkward. Why?" Harry shrugged in response. She patiently waited. After a pause, he sighed.

"I just…I know it's great, that I've done so well and all. But I keep feeling like if I don't succeed, if I don't do well, I just will be letting everyone down. As long as I keep winning, I'm living up to their expectations. Which is what I want to do. I mean, I think I want to,"

"I see," she murmured quietly.

"So, why did you act all weird when I told you that I had been in your dad's store?" he asked.

"What were you even doing there?" she questioned.

"Hey, no changing the subject!"

"You tell me first," she insisted. "What were you doing in Knockturn Alley? It doesn't really seem like your…scene…"

"Well…" Harry gave a sheepish grin. "Truth be told, I couldn't figure out how to use floo powder. I was trying to get to Diagon Alley but…you see… I didn't say it clearly enough and it transported me there." Pandora began to crack up, covering her face with her hands. Harry laughed along with her.

"You're just as good as a muggle-born!" Pandora giggled.

"Hey," Harry stopped her. "One of my best friends is a muggle-born, and she's the smartest witch of all."

"My apologies," Pandora held up her hands defensively. "Didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay, I forgive you," Harry said, giving her a half-smile.

"So…best witch of all, huh?" Pandora purred with a devilish smirk on her face. Her eyebrows waggled.

"Not like that!" Harry laughed. "We're just friends. She's just very intelligent."

"If you say so," Pandora said, smiling. They were sitting at the table across from one another, their books scattered on the desk. Harry reached over and flipped over her Potions textbook, flipping to the page that she had bookmarked.

"So is this what you do in your spare time?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I guess you could say that," she scooted her chair closer to his so they could read alongside one another.

"A relaxation potion? Do I stress you out?" He joked.

"It's for Bridget," she explained. "She's having trouble sleeping and is under a lot of stress."

"Do you make potions often?"

"Yeah, I enjoy it," she revealed. "I'm good at them. Professor Snape loves me,"

"He doesn't love me," Harry chuckled.

"Yeah, well that's because you're the Chosen One," she giggled.

"It's not my fault I'm destined for greatness!" Harry laughed.

"Oh, but of course," she mocked sympathy, patting him on the shoulder lightly. "It's just so hard to be eternally famous and all that,"

"You know," he said, turning to face her. "Out of everyone I've ever met, I feel like you get it. Which is weird, because I know we only just met, but…I don't know. You don't put pressure on me or have expectations for me. It's like, you know what I'm saying when I talk about all the expectations and all that,"

"It's because I do. Get it, I mean. I've heard it all before," she confided.

"What do you mean?" He asked. She sighed.

"My father believes I'm destined for greatness. I have to follow in his footsteps. Over the summer he teaches me all about the types of items he sells and the way he runs his store because one day I'm supposed to take over it. All of my ancestors have done great things. They were all Slytherin and all pureblood. He expects nothing less from me." She ranted, her eyes staring off into a faraway place. "My mother was a brilliant potion-maker. She could brew anything and everything. He knows of my abilities and urges me to work on them as often as I can. He doesn't take no for an answer. He just expects me to be as amazing as her, which I'm not. I don't know if I ever will be."

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning towards her. "I understand, Pandora. Expectations suck."

"But yours are true," she looked into his eyes. "You've already proved yourself. You're the Boy Who Lived."

"No, I'm the baby that miraculously stopped the Dark Lord by crying in my crib and escaping with a scar," he muttered. "Everyone acts like I'm capable of such great things but no one understands that it's not like I did it all on purpose. It's not like I thought to myself, hold up, let me just stop this wizard for a second. No, it didn't happen like that. I don't even know how it happened, it just did. And since then everyone's either loved or hated me, no in between. All because of one night that I barely remember."

"You stopped a reign of terror," she said. "You don't know how and you don't know why, but you did."

"But where do I go from there?" he looked at her desperately. "They all think I'm some kind of powerful wizard who stopped Voldemort, but I don't even know where to start. Even with this tournament. I didn't ask to be in this. Someone put me in the cup. He or she expects me to win, or die, I don't know."

"You won't die," she suddenly had his face in her hands. "Harry, you're stronger than you know. You may think that that night was not in your control, but right now is. You've done more than any fourth year, let alone wizard could have done already. You'll make it through this. You don't see it, but you're determined and powerful. You don't have to live up to their expectations, but you should live up to your own."

"Pandora," he whispered, reaching out to run a hand through her hair. "You're powerful as well. You think that you have to do what your dad wants, but you don't. You enjoy potion making, right? So continue that. Do it because you love it, not because it's what's expected of you."

"I don't know if I love it as much anymore," she confessed. "It's become more of a chore than a hobby. I've seen how much damage it can do. Bridget wants to be an amazing quidditch player but also a star scholar. She drinks potions so she won't sleep. She uses the time to study, to practice, to work. She doesn't take any breaks and she's constantly asking me for more. Those are her expectations. She has to be the best at everything,"

"Everyone has expectations," he observed, a solemn look on his face.

"My other friend, Viola, she doesn't work half as hard as Bridget. But she gets good grades, which bothers Bridget to no end. It's because she sleeps with her professors and her tutors. She cheats to get ahead. She's never in class but no one notices because she'll sleep with some guy to drink Polyjuice potion and pretend to be her for the day. It's sickening," Pandora was venting now, letting out everything that had been bottled up inside of her for as long as she could remember. "I'm so sick of all of the 'I have to do this before I do this' and the 'this is what must be done, this is what's expected'. Why can't anyone enjoy the present? Why are there so many expectations? Destined for greatness, who cares? What if I want to go marry a muggle and become a sculptor for the rest of my life?"

"I'm surprised you know what a sculptor is," Harry laughed, his eyes twinkling. She grinned.

"I was once in a muggle town and I found this remarkable ice statue. I had been so fascinated by it that I had asked the nearest person, 'what magic is this?' and she had laughed and told me to go ask the sculptor." She admitted.

"I don't know whether to be more shocked that you were fascinated by a statue or that you were in a muggle town in the first place." Harry teased. She swatted at him and he caught her arm, pulling her towards him. They both paused, looking into each other's eyes and hardly breathing. He reached over and pushed back a strand of her blonde hair, his fingers brushing her cheek and sending a warm chill down her spine. She bit her lip, gazing at his. Every atom in her body was vibrating, flying off and pinging against her bones, begging her to lean forward and kiss him.

"It's getting a little late, you two don't want to get in trouble now," Hagrid's voice came from out of nowhere and the two nearly leapt out of their seats. Harry checked the clock.

"He's right, it's almost past curfew," Harry observed. "I'll walk you back," the two thanked Hagrid for letting them stay and walked in silence to the castle. Once they had reached the courtyard, he turned to her.

"Did you mean it when you said we weren't friends?" He asked innocently.

"I said that a long time ago," she murmured. "I didn't know you then,"

"And now?" He asked.

"Well, I still don't totally know you,"

"Then get to know me," he leaned close, his intoxicating smell filling her nostrils. She felt herself tilting towards him, drinking in his scent and wanting to savor this moment forever. She shook her head, snapping out of her reverie.

"Why would you want to be friends anyways?" She asked. "It's not like everyone around us is screaming for it to happen."

"I like you," he shrugged. She felt her heart flutter. "You're fun to talk to."

"Yeah," she said, his words still ringing mellifluously in her ears. "We can be friends."

"Yeah?" he gave a lopsided grin.

"Only because you taught me how to build a snowman," she added, her eyes sparkling.

"Can I still call you house elf?" he asked. She wrinkled her nose.

"Only if I can be a free elf," she said.

"Okay, you're a free elf." He told her. The clock struck midnight and the two groaned, realizing they were beyond past curfew. She began to walk off, knowing that if they were caught, they would be in huge trouble.

"You better not tell anyone about this, Potter!" She called out as she walked away.

"I would never," he said as he began to back away in the opposite direction. "I'll meet you tomorrow night, right here."

"Bring gloves," she replied. "We've got many snowmen to build."

"Anything for my free elf," he said before turning and going off to his side of the castle.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Pandora's sticky hands clutched the two glass vials as she paced nervously. Each time the door opened she jumped; and each time she saw who it was that entered, her shoulders sagged with disappointment. She was growing more and more anxious as well as impatient. Finally, the door creaked open and Bridget answered.

"Hey," Bridget greeted.

"I've got them right here," Pandora said quickly, handing her the two potions.

"You're the best!" Bridget accepted them eagerly, her eyes widening.

"Just be careful, okay?" Pandora reminded her.

"Of course," Bridget dismissed her with a wave, her eyes hungrily scanning the two differently colored liquids. "Which one's which?"

"The blue one will relax you and the pink one should give you energy."

"Sweet!" Bridget took a swig of the blue potion. A dreamy look came over her and she gazed at Pandora happily. Pandora noticed dark circles had formed under Bridget's eyes. As she opened her mouth to mention it, they spotted Viola standing against the corridor wall, her finger twirling in her dark hair as she spoke to a Ravenclaw boy.

"Oh yeah, I love to play Wizard's chess! It's one of my favorite games. I definitely think it should be a sport!" she was lying through her teeth, and it made Pandora and Bridget giggle. Viola spun around, hearing their chuckles approaching. She ignored them, looping her arm through the boy's and skipping to class with him. The two friends followed them into the Charms class. As Viola chattered away with him and Bridget began taking notes, Pandora found herself gazing off into space. She spotted Harry from across the room, bent over his book and attempting to cast a spell. He looked up and caught her eye. His face immediately broke into a smile. She found herself grinning back.

The smile stayed on her face throughout the day. She found herself humming as she cast levitation spells and even singing while she brewed potions. As she sauntered to lunch, she felt lightheaded and ridiculously blissful. Her hair swished behind her and she was antsy, ready to jump on a broomstick and fly across the world rather than sit still and eat lunch. As she began to eat, Draco slipped into the seat next to her.

"Pandora," he was quick to switch to his "business" voice. "I was looking for you this morning during breakfast."

"Sorry," she apologized quickly, feeling Viola and Bridget's eyes focused on them, holding their breaths as they waited to hear what he was going to say next.

"I got a message in the mail today. My family will be having a little party this weekend. Your family is invited, of course, so since you and I both have to go, we might as well go together." He stated it simply. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, Bridget nudging Viola, smiles on their faces.

"Okay, that should be fine," she replied, turning back to her food.

"Alright then," he got up and stalked off. He wasn't even a foot away before Bridget and Viola squealed.

"You guys have a date!" Bridget yelped.

"You have to let me pick your outfit," Viola demanded.

"Whoa, whoa," Pandora raised up her hands in defense. "Guys, it's not a date."

"It totally is," Bridget insisted.

"Yeah, he's only been trying to get with you since first year." Viola said.

"Why deny it?" Bridget asked.

"You two are meant to be together," Viola's eyes were wide with excitement.

"Absolutely not!" Pandora screeched, feeling her face redden with embarrassment.

"You two are destined for each other," Bridget told her informatively, as if she was spouting off the steps to a potion. "You both come from powerful families. It's like, law."

"After all," Viola piped up. "In a monarchy, a princess doesn't marry anyone short of a prince, otherwise how else will she rule the kingdom as queen?"

"A real queen doesn't need a king by her side," Pandora interjected. Both girls rolled their eyes in frustration.

"Whatever you say, Pandora," Viola said.

"When you two get married, I expect to be maid of honor." Bridget remarked.

"Uh, no! I should be maid of honor!" Viola turned to her. The two began to bicker back and forth, listing reasons as to why she should be chosen. Pandora groaned and stared off into space, her mind fluttering to a new topic. She picked up her cup of pumpkin juice and spotted Harry from across the room, practically miles away. He caught her eye and lifted up his cup of pumpkin juice to her, as if offering up a toast. She lifted up hers as well, a smile creeping onto her face. He winked at her before taking a sip. She bit her lip to stop the smile from showing, but he spotted it immediately. _Free elf._ He mouthed to her, a sparkle in his eye. _Shut up,_ she mouthed back, taking a quick sip and looking around to make sure no one had noticed. She caught his eye again, and he mouthed, _later?_ She nodded. The two took a sip simultaneously, and then turned back to their friends and back to their separate worlds, pretending that the small, meaningful interaction hadn't occurred.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

She saw him before he saw her. He leaned against a column, staring off at the sunset, his hands in the pockets of his robe. He was so lost in the colors, the vibrant oranges, the sweet pinks, and the bright yellows that she almost didn't want to disturb him. She strolled up quietly by him, careful not to disrupt him from his reverie.

"Hey," she greeted quietly. He grinned and turned to face her.

"Hey," they both stared at the sunset, pausing and taking in the beauty.

"Can I be honest with you?" Pandora said after a moment.

"Of course,"

"Before I met you…I never looked at sunsets before," she admitted sheepishly. "And now that I'm here…looking at it with you…all I keep thinking is why the hell have I never done this before?" He laughed lightly in response.

"Want to do something else you've never done before?"

An hour later, the two were hand in hand walking the cobbled streets of a nearby town. He nodded at every person that walked by and she was grinning uncontrollably.

"What are our names again?" she asked excitedly.

"Bob Smith and Megan Jones," he told her. They entered the building, a two story, brick structure that was filled to the brim with people around their age, dressed in multiple outfits. Pandora squeezed his hand nervously and he pulled her into the crowd.

"What if someone catches us?" she whispered.

"They won't," he winked. They walked into a classroom, constructed completely differently than the ones at Hogwarts. Pandora and Harry sat in desks next to one another, waiting for the Muggle teacher to begin to teach. Pandora's pulse was racing. Here she was, in a Muggle town, in a Muggle school, dressed as a Muggle, pretending to be a Muggle! She kept looking over at Harry, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.

After the class, which detailed a concept called Chemistry that resembled Potions in many ways, the two walked left the school and walked through the town, eventually sitting at a small coffee shop. Harry ordered them both cappuccinos. They sat across from one another, sipping their foamy drinks and taking in the scenery of the small Muggle town.

"I can't believe students here are expected to write down so many things!" Pandora commented. "And with such weird writing implements. I don't understand how they work those clicky thingys."

"They're called pens," Harry laughed. "They're actually very similar to a quill and ink. The ink is inside the pen, and you click it to use it."

"Sounds confusing," Pandora replied. "And we thought _we_ were the ones with magic," they laughed together.

"I've actually never done this before, either." He confessed.

"What? Sip this cappadrink?" she questioned.

"I've never gone to the Muggle world with another wizard," he said.

"Well, neither have I." she joked.

"You know, you're not like most Slytherins," he told her nonchalantly. She froze mid sip.

"What's that supposed to mean?" her voice had taken on a tense, angry tone.

"Nothing bad! You just are much more open to the idea of Muggles. You're much more accepting. And you're not cruel or self-serving. You're helpful, and honest. And sweet." He added hastily, seeing the dark cloud form over her face. She could feel the fight within her to be the person she wanted to be and the person she was. She swallowed hard, and looked at the scene around her. Muggle children rode vehicles Harry has described as bikes, parents read glossy tabloids with still pictures of people deemed famous. She had actually been enticed by all of this? She felt disgust building up inside her, at both the scene around her and at herself. She remembered every Muggle slur her father had instilled in her and she began to stand up, feeling the weight of it all crushing her.

"Hey," he stood up, taking her hand in his and pulling her towards him. "It's a good thing, I swear."

"Take me home." She growled, hating him, hating this place, hating how she knew she didn't actually hate any of it.

When they got back, they walked along the courtyard in silence. They had both skipped two classes at Hogwarts and knew they would get repercussions for it later, but they couldn't get themselves to say goodbye and go. Harry felt like he should say something, anything, but he was at a loss for words. He knew there were some deeper feelings that he held towards her, he could practically feel it within himself; but he struggled to form it into a tangible idea, a tangible thought. Every time he thought he was getting closer to her, thought he was getting through to her, she shut off. Pandora was having the same internal struggle. She fought with the idea that she could be "not like most Slytherins". She both desperately wanted to be the perfect Slytherin and desperately wanted to be herself.

"I've been having weird dreams," Harry said abruptly.

"What kinds of weird dreams?" she asked.

"I don't know…I've had weird dreams before," he began slowly, trying to tell her everything that had been building up inside of him for days. "But this one…it happened two days ago in Divination class. I fell asleep and woke up screaming."

"I heard about that," Pandora admitted. "Are you okay?"

"I thought I was. It was about Voldemort." He said. He felt her stiffen next to him.

"Voldemort is dead," she tried to reassure him.

"That's what people say. But when I told Dumbledore about it, he told me that my dream might be true," he continued, his pace speeding up as he spoke. "He told me that these disappearances…they mean something, Pandora. They mean something and there's a reason I can see it. I just don't know what to do." He turned to look at her, his eyes desperate and searching. Pandora swallowed a lump in her throat. She couldn't tell him what she knew, what she had seen.

"Don't ignore your dreams," she told him warily, paying extra attention to her word choice. She was speaking very slowly, knowing she was breaking every rule her father had instilled in her since birth. "Voldemort…he's powerful. Embrace your dreams and be careful. Your subconscious knows things you may not."

"Do you really think so?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Pandora. For listening to me, I mean. You're really smart."

"See?" she laughed, shrugging. "I can do more than just mix stuff together."

"What do you like to do?" he asked. They approached a bench, surrounded by bushes and the two sat down.

"Well I like potions-"

"No, not with magic." He interrupted. "Just…what do you like to do?" she paused, biting her lip and furrowing her brow. What did she like to do? What kind of question was that?

"I like to…I like to sing," she said sheepishly. "And…I like drawing. Like, pictures. I like sketching."

"I sing…in the shower." He laughed. "What do you usually sketch?"

"People, places. Just things I like." She said.

"So any sketches of me or…?" he teased.

"You wish," she swatted his shoulder lightly. "What do you like to do?"

"I write letters," he said. "I like to write. It gives me…I don't know…this feeling of peace. I feel a lot better when I write stuff down. You know, things I'm feeling or dealing with. It's nice to just let everything out."

"Who do you usually write to?"

"My friend," his voice had taken on a cautious tone as he approached the subject of Sirius. "We…we write back and forth."

"That's good," she said quietly.

"Will you let me see your drawings?" he asked curiously.

"I don't show people my drawings," she murmured. His shoulders sagged. She gazed at him, his messy black hair, his flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. "But maybe one day," she added quickly. He smiled, his green eyes wrinkling. She felt herself involuntarily smiling in return, forgetting all of the bad feelings she had been holding before. He reached over without thinking and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The two looked in each others' eyes, not speaking, not looking away, both thinking, without realizing, the exact same thing.

"Are you scared?" she asked suddenly. He took a deep breath, knowing that she could be referring to hundreds of things. Instead of asking her which she was referring to, the third task, the Dark Lord, his feelings for her, he leaned closer to her, his eyes falling onto her lips.

"I can't remember the last time I wasn't," And he kissed her. His lips met hers, slowly and sweetly. They formed against one another, softly like butterflies. Then she kissed back, snaking a hand through his hair and pulling him closer. He gripped her tightly, his mind filled with no thoughts, no words, only sparks and fireworks erupting, reverberating off his bones and throughout his chest as he kissed her. As they kissed, it was both something incredibly new and something they felt like they had been doing all along. The motions were easy, involuntary. They both lost themselves in the moment, kissing and holding one another; feeling like it was something that they should've been doing all along.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"And so I told him it wasn't my fault he caught feelings," Viola droned on, waving her hands maniacally to emphasize her point. "And he had the nerve to say I led him on! How could I? I never once told him I had any interest in him. Not once. And you know what else? Everyone calls him the biggest player of our class. Yet when someone else rejected him, suddenly it was like he had feelings or something. All I'm saying is, if I hadn't ended it when I did, we all know he would've played me out and not thought twice about it."

"He's just angry you beat him to it," Bridget concurred. Viola nodded feverishly.

"Yes! See, I knew you'd understand."

"I'm sure Pandora does too, once she wakes up," Bridget said, snapping her fingers in front of Pandora's face. Pandora snapped out of her daydream and looked at her two friends with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry guys," she apologized quickly. "I didn't get much sleep last night,"

"Trust me, we know," Viola laughed. "You were tossing and turning all night."

"Sleep is for the weak," Bridget quoted, shrugging. Pandora rolled her eyes at her. She knew that Bridget had been drinking potions to stay awake for all hours nearly every night now. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had even seen Bridget in her bed.

"I'm just ready for some breakfast," Viola announced as the three rounded the corner. Pandora felt a tug of her heart as she spotted Harry, talking to his two friends outside the dining hall. She slowed her pace, allowing Bridget and Viola to breeze past her. She bent down and feigned tying her shoe, waving the two to continue on without her. Harry looked over and saw her, a smile breaking out on his face. He motioned to his friends to go in without him, then slowly walked towards her, biting his lip in anticipation.

"Hey," he whispered, coming close but not too close, just near enough to get a whiff of her vanilla scent, practically lifting him out of his shoes and into the sky.

"Hey," she greeted, her hands aching to reach out and trace his jawline.

"How are you?" He asked, his eyes following the curve of her lips.

"I'd be better if I could get you somewhere alone," she admitted, giving him a seductive smirk.

"Later tonight," he promised. The two began to walk to the dining hall, together but not really together, appearing as if they just happened to develop the same pace. As they approached the door and began to separate for their respective tables, he reached out and took her hand, only for a moment, so as if it appeared that he had just swung it back and hit hers accidentally. But she knew better, so she let his fingers clasp hers just for that one moment before she had to release.

"No, I can't help you get ready for your date. I have two tests and a Quidditch match!" Bridget shouted, exasperated. Viola rolled her eyes.

"It's always something," she sighed.

"What does that mean?" Bridget shot back, shutting her textbook with a slam.

"You're either studying, practicing or working. You never have time for fun," Viola whined.

"And what do you define as 'fun'?" Bridget questioned skeptically.

"Well first of all, when's the last time you had a date?" Viola wiggled her eyebrows.

"What in the world did I just walk into?" Pandora breezed over, sitting in between the two bickering girls.

"Bridget needs to learn how to have fun," Viola said.

"Viola needs to learn to shut up," Bridget snapped, reopening her textbook and losing herself in it. Viola flipped her hair and continued eating as though the conversation had never happened. Pandora reached over for a biscuit and began to eat. The three sat in silence for a total of five minutes when, finally, Bridget closed her textbook and turned to face her friends.

"I haven't been on a date since our second year, when Niles Hanley told me he was the heir of Slytherin and that if I didn't go to Hogsmeade with him, he would petrify me. And I would hardly call that a date," Bridget admitted.

"Let me set you up!" Viola squealed.

"I'm not really looking for anything…" Bridget began.

"Wait, we can do a triple date!" she reached out and grabbed Pandora's shoulder as well.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Pandora interrupted.

"Come on," Viola moaned. "You two haven't been on dates in forever. Neither one of you has anyone special. It's only right that I be a good friend and try to help. Trust me, okay?"

"I'll do it if you do," Bridget said to Pandora. She sighed.

"Well, alright,"

"Yay!" Viola practically bounced out of her chair. "Tomorrow night, okay?"

"Sure," Bridget sighed. As they cleared up their plates and began to leave, she had opened up her textbook again.

"Muggle Studies?" Viola read off the front cover, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"It's most likely the dumbest class I've ever taken," Bridget moaned. "And that includes Care of Magical Creatures." Viola snorted in response, as she took out her compact mirror and began to apply makeup. Pandora began skimming the crowd, searching for Harry. They strolled out towards the entrance of the dining room, each focused on their own task, when Bridget accidentally bumped into Hermionie Granger, knocking her papers out of her hands.

"Watch where you're going," Bridget snapped, kicking a couple papers out of her way. Viola snickered. Pandora felt sick to her stomach as she saw anger flash across Hermionie's face and her two sidekicks, Ron and Harry, appeared almost instantaneously.

"Aw, you're studying?" Hermionie motioned over at Bridget, still bent over her textbook. "That's cute. You'll need it."

"Ah, yes, I forgot you mudbloods have an advantage. What do you do to study? Go through the family photo albums?" Bridget shot back, her eyes daring Hermionie to come closer.

"Back off," Ron took a step forward, ready to defend.

"Aw, is this your boyfriend?" Viola stepped forward, her face inches from his. "He's not too bad. You better keep an eye on him…" she winked flirtatiously, and his face turned beet red. The two girls cackled, strutting off. Pandora forced herself to smile and continue walking with them, trying to catch Harry's eye to mouth an apology.

"What a joke!" Bridget snickered, linking her arm with Viola's.

"It's ridiculous that they're even allowed in this school," Viola remarked.

"Mudbloods shouldn't even be allowed to be considered wizards, let alone go to school with Purebloods," Bridget preached.

"And that Weasley boy…"

"He's an embarrassment to Purebloods everywhere. I don't know how he can live with himself." Bridget sang.

"I heard the whole family's like that. A bunch of rag a muffins lollygagging around, procreating with filthy Mudbloods…"

"And Harry Potter…the golden boy himself…" Pandora stiffened when she heard his name uttered from Bridget's lips.

"Oh, he's an abomination!" Viola gasped.

"He struts around acting like he's the savior of the wizarding world. Like we should all be just falling to our knees at the sight of him!"

"Some people do," Pandora interjected. "He did stop He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."

"Did he really, though?" Bridgett began.

"Oh, here we go," Viola teased.

"I think it's all a conspiracy. See, think about it. He wears those humongous glasses-they're practically the size of the Great Lake-meaning he must be practically blind. Not only that, but he also was an infant when he 'defeated' the Dark Lord. So we're supposed to believe a half-blind infant was able to defeat the most powerful dark wizard of our time? I don't believe it. I think someone else did the dirty work and he just took all the credit." Bridget rambled.

"Then how do you explain his scar?" Pandora piped up.

"He probably bumped his head falling down the stairs and decided to turn it into a cool story." Bridget waved her hand in dismissal.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Viola laughed. "He is kind of cute, though."

"Don't even think about it!" Bridget screeched. "First, everyone thinks he's doing the Mudblood. And even if he isn't, I overheard that he tried getting Cho Chang to go to the Yule Ball with him. And she said no. So if he's really the 'chosen one', don't you think he would be able to get a girlfriend by now?" The two were hysterically laughing. Pandora joined in, feeling embarrassment sweep across her face.

"So tomorrow night," Viola changed the subject, her eyes sparkling mischieviously. "You two better look hot. I'm going to find us the best boys around."

"Yeah, yeah," Pandora rolled her eyes. "Just don't find us weirdos, okay?"

"I make no promises!" Viola joked.

"I'm going to class," Bridget waved as she strolled off. Viola turned to Pandora, a grin growing on her face.

"Are you sure you don't want me to ask…Draco?" she leaned close, her breath smelling like toast and pumpkin juice.

"Ugh, please don't," Pandora scrunched up her face in disgust.

"If you say so!" Viola sang, breezing off the other way. Once she was sure Viola was nowhere in sight, Pandora sat down on a nearby bench and breathed heavily. Her friends' words lingered on her mind as she organized the papers in her folders. She found herself picking apart their words, analyzing them and almost believing them. She spotted Cho Chang then, walking down the hallway, intertwined with Cedric Diggory. She found herself disliking Cho Chang then, despite the fact that she had never done anything to Pandora that she could recall. Nevertheless, she scowled at her as she passed.

That night, Pandora sat in her room and watched the minutes tick by. She knew that Bridget was at her Quidditch game and Viola was watching the game in an effort to appear "athletic" for her newest boy toy. And Pandora was sitting. She wondered if Harry was where they said they'd meet. She wondered if he was still waiting for her, or if he had figured out she was not coming.


	9. Chapter 9

The door to her room opened and Pandora looked up expectantly. In walked Viola. Pandora opened her mouth to ask her how the night had gone, but then clamped it shut quickly as a boy came in behind her. Viola gave Pandora a knowing look, and Pandora snapped her book shut and walked out the door. As she entered the hall she heard the boy ask her what time it was and Viola's clever response, "Time to have fun". Pandora bit back laughter. She walked down to the corridor and found herself sitting on a bench, overlooking the night sky. She lost herself in thought, thinking about all of the stories her mother used to tell her as a child of the magic Queen who cast spells throughout the night to guide travellers home and ward off evil.

"Fancy meeting you here," at the sound of his nasally, arrogant voice Pandora groaned. Draco slid next to her, a smirk already forming on his weasel face.

"I'm trying to study," Pandora said quickly, opening up the random book she had grabbed on her way out. She thumbed through it until she came across a page and pretended to be reading carefully.

"You don't have to study," he reached over and shut her book quickly. "Pretty girls don't have to be smart."

"Thanks, but no thanks." She felt herself growing irritated as she opened up her book again. He reached over and shut it once more.

"How about we skip the studying and move on to something a little more exciting? Perhaps to my bedroom?"

"Do you consider yourself an intelligent boy?" Pandora spun around to face him.

"Yes," he answered right away, his eyebrows waggling.

"Can you understand English?"

"Yes…" he responded hesitantly.

"Then how can you not understand that no means no. No as in no, I do not want to date you or kiss you or even be near you. Just because our parents are close does not mean we have to be. I understand there's this whole idea that you and I have to be together to impress our parents but I'm sure they will understand if we aren't."

"I was just being nice, you bitch." He threw his hands up in defense. "No need to be so conceited"

"Being nice usually doesn't entail inviting me up to your bedroom," she spat, standing up. He got up as well and stalked off, calling her names as he walked.

"Oh yeah! Real mature!" she called after him. She heard chuckling from behind her.

"So you ditched hanging out with me for this?" Harry asked her, lazily leaning up against the column.

"God, are you stalking me?"

"I could hear you shutting down Malfoy from across the corridor," he laughed.

"Not like it's any of your business," Pandora shot back, rolling her eyes.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Shouldn't you be with your Mudblood girlfriend?"

"Don't call her that."

"Or what? You'll run off and tell her? Or worse, kiss me again?"

"She's not my girlfriend," he said. "But she's my friend. And you don't call her that."

"I saw the article. Everyone's talking about it. Naturally," she tasted the venom in her voice. "I know what's going on; The Chosen One and the Mudblood. It's quite the story."

"If you call her that again I'll never speak to you again,"

"Oh! God forbid!"

"I'm not dating Hermione. That was all Rita Skeeter. She makes up stories to sell papers. None of it's true. It's all lies, okay?" he explained.

"Is it true about Cho Chang?"

"I-" he hesitated. Then sighed. "I tried to ask her to the Yule Ball. But she said no. I haven't really spoken to her since."

"She's with Cedric." Pandora informed him.

"I know. I don't care," he moved closer to her. "I'm not into Cho Chang. And I'm not into Hermione."

"Then who are you into?" Pandora asked, finding herself leaning towards him.

"Some girl. She's a Slytherin. Can you believe it?"

"Sounds like you've got your hands full," Pandora giggled.

"Oh, you bet I do. She's fierce," he reached over and ran his hand through her hair. "But I like that."

"I'm sorry," she said, taking his hand. "I just…I thought it was true,"

"It's okay," he said, pulling her close to him. "Truth be told, it's kind of cute to see you jealous,"

"I was not jealous!"

"A little bit, yeah."

"You wish!" she pulled away, laughing.

"You were,"

"Was not!"

"Okay, whatever you say," he laughed and pulled her close. She took a deep breath, staring into his eyes. He kissed her softly.

"I think it's cute," he whispered, kissing her again. "My little free elf has a temper."

"This free elf is not little," she said in between kisses. "And not yours."

"Of course not," he chuckled. "Because you have no master."

"That's right," she smiled, and the two kissed, both holding their breath, both hoping the moment would never end, both knowing in the back of their minds that it inevitably would.


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you guys almost ready?" Bridget whined.

"Almost!" Viola shouted over the sound of the blow dryer.

"Hurry up. I have to be back in time to do the rest of my homework,"

"Relax, B." Viola teased. "It's going to be fun."

"You still haven't told us who we're going out with," Pandora reminded Viola as she slipped around her to look in the mirror.

"It's a surprise," she spun around to face the two. "Okay, Pandora, love your outfit. But put your hair up! You have stunning cheekbones…show them off. And B, you look gorgeous. But your skirt…" she paused, eyeing the outfit head to toe. Bridget shifted uncomfortable.

"What? What about my skirt?" she asked impatiently.

"Wait, I got it," Viola ran over to her bed, rummaging around in the drawers nearby. "Try these on," she handed her a pair of bright red flats.

"These are a little…bright," Bridget mumbled, pulling them on.

"Ah! Perfect!" Viola squealed. "You needed a little color." Pandora and Bridget looked at each other, their eyes wide and nervous as they both realized that they had no idea what they were in for.

"Hi beautiful," a tall, blonde Slytherin boy greeted Viola with a kiss on her cheek.

"Hi Michael," she greeted him. "These are my friends, Bridget and Pandora."

"Nice to meet you two," he smiled. "Bastien and Cameron are waiting for us at Hogsmeade." When they arrived, two boys waved them over to a table.

"I'm Bastien," a blonde haired, dark eyed boy said. Viola nudged Pandora, giving her a look that told her that this was supposed to be her date.

"I'm Cameron," a dark haired boy introduced himself, smiling knowingly at Bridget. She shifted uncomfortably in response. The six of them sat and engaged in awkward conversation for a few minutes. As the waiter came over, Viola excused herself to the bathroom.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" the waiter asked, a teenage girl with mousy curls and big glasses.

"I suppose you can," Bastien drawled. "We'll all take Butterbeers, yeah?" Cameron nodded.

"Okay, so five Butterbeers…"

"There are six place settings," Bastien corrected. "You've got those glasses for a reason. Next time, use 'em." The waiter looked at him, her eyes wide and embarrassed. She apologized and left quickly.

"That was unnecessary," Pandora said to him, shocked at his rudeness. He waved her off.

"I've seen that girl around before. She's an odd one."

"I'm going to the bathroom," Michael stood up and excused himself quickly.

"Atta boy!" Bastien hooted, patting Michael on the back. "You go get her!"

"Ugh," Pandora groaned, realizing this was about to be the worst date ever. As the minutes ticked by, Bastien grew louder and more obnoxious.

"Get us some Fire Whiskey, Four-Eyes!" Bastien ordered the waiter.

"I can't serve you guys, you're underage," The waiter stammered.

"Oh, hop off that. We're paying customers and we want Fire Whiskey."

"I'm sorry but I can't-"

"Listen here, Four-Eyes…" he stood up to get in her face. Pandora grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is," she hissed in his ear as the waiter scampered away. "But you better chill out. Now." He shook her hand off and sat down, rolling his eyes. Pandora looked at the bathroom door expectantly. Viola and Michael had been gone for almost a half hour.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Bridget said abruptly, standing up and skittering to the restroom.

"If you find Viola in there, tell her to get out here!" Pandora called after her. She sighed and sat down at the table. They hadn't even ordered yet. She began to grow frustrated and longing, more than anything, for Harry. She wondered what he was doing about now. After another twenty minutes, she grew even more antsy. Bastien and Cameron continued to torment the waiter. Pandora recognized the panic in her eyes as she travelled back and forth to the table, delivering Butterbeers and eventually Fire Whiskeys, as she had clearly given up on trying to deny the requests of Bastien.

"Excuse me," Pandora said, walking to the bathroom. She walked near the Men's Room and could hear Viola giggling and Michael shushing her. She rolled her eyes and entered the girl's bathroom. As she stared in the mirror, she took note of what she saw. Straight blonde hair. Blue eyes, glazed over with boredom. Cream colored skin. She began to pick apart what she saw, starting from the cheekbones Viola had complimented before. Her cheeks were too chubby, she noted. Her hair was boring, flat. Her eyes were dull, a dark blue with no sparkle. She didn't know what Harry saw in her, or anyone for that matter. She felt insecure and subpar, especially compared to gorgeous Viola and talented Bridget. In their presences, she was nothing.

As her eyes began to travel down, she noticed a pair of feet in one of the stalls that hadn't moved since she had entered. She slowly rotated to face the stall, realizing that the feet were sprawled out as if the person was lying down. As she stepped closer, she bit back a scream. The feet were sporting flats. Bright red flats.

She slammed open the stall door. Bridget was lying on the ground; face up, her eyes fluttering, foam coming out of her mouth, her body twitching. A voice Pandora didn't recognize screamed for help. It wasn't until a doctor was tearing her away from Bridget's spasming body that she realized the voice shrieking was her own.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 11

"She will be okay," Madame Pomfrey told Viola and Pandora for the fifteenth time. Yet still, the two refused to move from Bridget's side. Bridget's eyes remained shut, her breathing slow and faint.

"What happened?" Viola asked, her voice filled with shock and frustration. "Not even an hour ago she was fine."

"She suffered an overdose of Bloodroot," Madame Pomfrey whispered, sighing. "It's a poisonous plant. She must've been attempting to make a Draught of Peace potion; all of the other ingredients are there. However, Bloodroot is very similar in appearance to powdered porcupine quills. She must've gotten the two confused and when she drank the potion, this occurred." Pandora felt her stomach drop. She remembered mixing the ingredients so delicately, adding the porcupine quills last and… but had she? As she began to think, she remembered feeling so tired, so fed up with mixing this potion. She had grabbed the ingredients in a hurry in an effort not to get caught, and her mind had also been on other things like her father, her friends, Harry…

"I've got to go," Pandora left the room abruptly, her panic level rising. Viola stared at her with shocked eyes as she raced out. She began pacing in the hall, tears streaming down her face. This had been all her fault. She had been careless, lazy, unfocused. She had done this to her best friend.

"She'll be okay," Viola said quietly, entering the hallway to face Pandora.

"I did this, Vi." Pandora was shaking, her whole body quaking with sobs.

"You didn't do it on purpose," Viola said, giving her a hug. "Bridget is the one who kept demanding potions. You made a mistake. Everyone does."

"My mother wouldn't have made that mistake." Pandora muttered.

"Look, I have to go. I have to go meet Michael-"

"Are you serious?" Pandora yelled, making Viola jump. "You're going on a fate right now? Your best friend is stuck in the hospital wing and you just keep dating? What is wrong with you?"

"She's going to be fine, Pandora." A dark look was cast over Viola's face. "She of all people wouldn't want us wasting time being upset over nothing. There are things to do. Besides…I'm not the one who put her there." She scoffed and walked off, leaving Pandora alone in the hallway, hurt and angry. Tears streamed down her face as she blindly walked through the hallway, not caring who saw her.

"Hey," a strong set of hands took her by the shoulders. She recognized his scent, light and inviting, as she looked up into his familiar, sparkling green eyes. "What's wrong?" She sobbed harder in response. She felt him steering her in a certain way, his hand lightly on her back as he guided her down the hallway. People looked over quizzically, but he kept his eyes trained on what was ahead and led her up sets of stairs.

He led her into a red room with a couch and fireplace. She looked up, sniffling. She recognized the Gryffindor crest. Harry had brought her into the Gryffindor common room. She opened her mouth to tell him she was fine, but he was pulling her to the boys' section and into his room. They sat on his bed and he locked the door to make sure no one walked in. Then he turned to face her.

"What's wrong?" The question was loaded and she struggled to answer. Tears were falling and splattering over his sheets. She began to apologize but he shushed her, pulling her close to him. He kissed her forehead and ran his hands through her soaked hair as she cried against him. They lay together like that for hours, until her crying had reduced to sniffling, and soon she was asleep. He ran his hand up and down her back, holding her tight and eventually falling asleep himself.

When they woke up, hours later, they didn't move to get up. Neither knew the time and neither cared. They lay in his bed, his hand scratching her back comfortingly, her hair splayed out on his pillow and her eyes red from crying. She looked him in the eyes and began to speak. Words tumbled out one after another and she did not stop to think about what she was saying. She trusted him, completely and absolutely. She told him every awful thought, every feeling. He listened wholeheartedly, his hands absentmindedly rubbing her back and occasionally reaching out to stroke her hair. He kissed her neck when she outlined her insecurities and held her tighter when she condemned herself for making such a trivial mistake.

"Pandora," he whispered when she had finished. "You're an amazing witch. You have so many talents and abilities. You made a mistake. So what? You've got so much going for you and you will continue to do amazing things. Stop being afraid or feeling like you aren't good enough. I can promise you that you are." She kissed him in response.

"I just know I won't live up to my mother. She was the best potion maker."

"You don't have to live up to her, Pandora." He told her, kissing her softly. "You are yourself. You are amazing on your own. Stop letting what people expect you to do determine your actions. Do what makes you happy. I know people expect certain things from you but you don't always have to deliver. Do things that you want."

"Easier said than done," she murmured.

"Trust me, I can relate to you completely," he whispered, kissing her behind her ear, then on her lips. "But I can also tell you that it's the best feeling in the world when you do something that you want and succeed in your own way. You don't have to do what people want you to do. Your family wants you to become some powerful wizard that does great things. Your dad wants you to help him run the store. Your friends want you to brew them potions and be someone you're not. All of these people want you to be something, be someone. But you don't have to be anything or anyone that you don't want to."

"What do you want me to be?" she asked suddenly. He looked at her longingly, his lips curving into a smile.

"Mine."


	12. Chapter 12

"You can borrow this dress," Viola huffed, tossing Pandora a red dress. Pandora thanked her, but Viola only stalked away in response. She sighed, folding up the dress into her small duffel. It had been four days and Bridget was still in the hospital wing. Pandora visited her every chance she got, but for the most part, there was no change. Viola and Pandora had begun this awkward dance; they were cordial with one another and ignored the face that they both held animosity for the other.

Pandora left the room, crossing past the Slytherin Common Room to meet up with Draco. He had been explicit in his instructions; they were to meet in his room then leave for home by floo powder. She had been dreading this moment, as they had barely spoken since their altercation in the hallway. As she greeted him, he was cold and aloof. She sighed, knowing this would most likely be the worst weekend of her life.

"Are you ready?" he asked, then began opening up the floo powder, not waiting for an answer. She recalled what Harry had said about his blunder with floo powder and found herself involuntarily smiling. She did that a lot when she thought about him. The two had been inseparable the past four days, sneaking off every chance they got to hang out. She could still taste him on her lips as she had snuck up to visit him before she had to leave. He had kissed her nonstop, knowing she had to go but wishing she didn't.

Draco went first, and Pandora followed soon after. The two arrived at the Malfoy Manor, where Pandora's father and stepmother were waiting for her. Her stepmother, Gwendolyn, ushered her into the bathroom almost immediately, offering to help clean her up and get her ready for the party that was about to begin. Pandora changed into the dress and eyed herself in the mirror. A short, low cut dress that clutched her body tightly, she felt practically naked in it. But Gwen smiled devilishly as she eyed her stepdaughter.

"Draco will be impressed," Gwen said almost immediately, as if that was what was on Pandora's mind. Pandora began to walk out when Gwen stopped her. "Makeup, darling?" Pandora sighed. Gwen began to apply makeup to her, lining her eyes with dark, dramatic wings and poking and prodding at her cheeks. When she had finished, Pandora felt likened to a dress up doll. Gwen stood back to admire her work.

"Well?" Pandora asked impatiently.

"Tie your hair back," Gwen ordered. "It makes you look older." Pandora began to tie it back, her hands slow and lazy. Gwen gave up on simply observing and yanked Pandora's hair back, ignoring her pained grimace. The two walked out together, Gwen's arm knotted with Pandora's. Pandora's father turned to look at her. His eyes widened at the amount of skin showing, but he bit his lip.

"You look lovely," he complimented, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"Doesn't she?" Gwen beamed.

"Thanks, dad." Pandora said, shifting uncomfortably.

"An owl came for you," he told her, pointing towards the desk where a letter was perched. "Open it quickly, the party is just starting outside." Pandora walked over and took the letter, waiting until her father and stepmother had left the room before opening it. Scrawled in his hardly legible, boy handwriting, Pandora found herself grinning ear to ear at the message Harry had sent her. _Even though I'm not with you right now, I'm sure you look beautiful. Knock em dead, my free elf. I'll see you when you get back._ She reread the words over and over, feeling happiness fill her from her toes to her head. She scribbled back quickly, _you bet I will. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, like build some more snowmen. XOXO._ She handed the letter to the waiting owl and watched as it flew away, bringing her message to the faraway person who she wished was with her now.

Pandora could hear the musicians playing loudly even from inside. She hesitated before walking outside and lost her breath as she took in the ostentatious decorations and sights. Large, bejeweled horse-drawn carriages aligned the front of the house as ridiculously dressed up guests clicked their way to the backyard, casting spells between every other word as they trotted up to join the party. Goblin waiters were passing around purple drinks. Pandora recognized the drinks as a potion she had seen multiple wizards attempting to create in class. The potion created a high, similar to what drugs or alcohol produced. As a goblin approached her, she kindly declined the offer of the drink.

"Pandora! So good to see you," Lucius Malfoy approached her, a purple drink in his hand. His wife, Narcissa, followed like a lapdog, a smile pasted on her face.

"Good to see you both as well," Pandora greeted politely. "Wonderful party."

"Thank you," Narcissa beamed, taking in the numerous activities going on around them.

"You look just wonderful. How have you been doing? Getting good grades, I'm sure," Lucius said, eyebrows raised, a snakelike grin on his face.

"I'm doing well. And yes, I've been working on it," she replied. "How are things at home? I always tell Draco to give you both my love whenever he sees you."

"You're too kind," Lucius smiled. "We're doing well over here. Narcissa and your mother go shopping together nearly every night, it's quite the toll but we get on just fine," he shot her a look that any other bystander wouldn't have noticed but Pandora, having known them for years, recognized it almost immediately. She feigned ignorance.

"You mean my stepmother?" She corrected quickly.

"Ah, yes. Stepmother." Lucius nodded as if he had just remembered and hadn't known the family for years. "Speaking of your family, I was just talking to your father earlier about his shop. I'm delighted to hear that you plan on taking it over when he chooses to retire. Keeping the family business going, all that. It's quite admirable. And a potions section would do wonders for the business."

"That it will," Narcissa parroted, glancing over at Lucius for approval. He ignored her.

"Ah, yes…that is the plan," Pandora said hesitantly.

"We knew we could expect great things from you," Lucius beamed, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm delighted to see how well you have grown up."

"Thank you," Pandora didn't like the way he was looking at her. He had a sparkle in his eyes, like he was holding some secret dear and was on the verge of revealing it.

"Yes… you will bring much help in the impending future," he had shifted closer to her, his eyes filled with brilliant, crazy light. "Great things are coming. Great things." His breath was hot and smelled sweet. Pandora felt herself growing lightheaded just smelling the scent of the potion that he was practically chugging. He finished up his glass and reached over to snatch two more, handing one to Pandora.

"Oh no thank you—" Pandora began, but he had already thrust it into her hands and was holding his glass up.

"To the future," Lucius toasted, his eyes on Pandora. "And the great things that are to come." Pandora realized she had no choice but to drink. She took a hesitant sip. The liquid slid down her throat, sugary and gooey. Lucius held his glass to his lips, watching her expectantly. She took another, longer sip, her eyes watering from the sickeningly sweet taste.

"If you'll excuse me," Pandora said quickly, sprinting away to the bathroom. She felt as though she were about to be ill. Draco intercepted her halfway there, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her into the house.

"Pandora," he moaned, pushing himself up against her.

"Draco, get off!" Pandora shrieked, pushing his chest to get him to release her. He had her up against the wall and his hands began to roam.

"You look good, Pandora," he mumbled drunkenly. She could smell the potion on his breath.

"Let me go," she demanded, looking around the room to find an escape. He only continued to yank at her dress, kissing her with wet, sticky lips and leaving trails of saliva on her shoulders. She kicked at him and began to yell for help. He covered her mouth with his lips, practically swallowing her lips whole. She tried to wrestle him off of her, her entire body spasming and pushing away. But he held in a tight grip and began to take off his clothes. She spotted his wand in his pocket as he fumbled with his zipper and she snatched it, her mind filled with panic and desperation. She stumbled over her words as she cast a spell, any spell, to get him off of her. A ray of blue shot out and hit him in the chest and he rebounded backwards, flying across the room. Pandora panted heavily, relieved. She ran out of the room, already feeling the tears forming in her eyes.

The party had come to a halt. Everyone had heard the sound of Draco hitting the wall. Narcissa ran into the house, calling his name frantically. Everyone stared at Pandora, silent, knowing she was the cause of this disturbance. Gwen strutted over and grabbed Pandora's arm, her nails digging into her skin, dragging her into the bathroom.

"What happened?" she questioned, eying Pandora's tangled hair and disheveled appearance. As Pandora explained, Gwen began to yank at her hair with a brush, ripping into knots with a face full of anger. Pandora yelped at each tug, but Gwen ignored her, continuing to tear into her hair. Gwen began to curse under her breath, grabbing tissues so she could dab at the makeup that was now trailing down Pandora's cheeks.

"You're acting like an idiot," Gwen spat, wiping off the eyeliner and mascara. "You don't know how lucky you are. You're so lucky I'm here. You stupid girl. Open your eyes. Stupid, stupid girl. You've got it all, you idiot. What have you got to complain about?" Pandora stayed silent as Gwen then began to redo her makeup, once again pulling apart her skin and dabbing, this time much harder, on her mask. When she had finished, she took Pandora by the arm again and led her into the house. There, Draco was nursing bruises and cuts meanwhile Narcissa cast spells to heal him as well as the crumbling wall. Pandora felt her breath quicken when she saw him, this boy who had frightened her so much.

"Pandora," Narcissa almost immediately leapt to stand in between her and Draco.

"She's here to apologize," Gwen stated firmly, digging her nails into Pandora's arm.

"I'm not—" Pandora began but Gwen shoved her forward and scowled, giving her a look of warning. Pandora looked at Draco, this pathetic boy who couldn't take no for an answer, then back at her stepmother, this cruel woman who seemed to take pleasure in inflicting pain upon her.

"Do it," Gwen growled, low enough so the Malfoys couldn't hear. "Or else." Pandora wanted to believe that the threat was empty, but she knew better. Gwen had her father's ear and used it more often than not. Pandora sighed and swallowed the words she wanted to say in order to apologize. It was like poison in her throat.

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I shouldn't have," she said softly, hating the way her voice sounded as she formed those words.

"Whatever," Draco murmured, rolling his eyes and turning away to not face her. Pandora looked over at Gwen, who was still glaring at her. Pandora shrugged and began to walk off. As she walked outside, she could hear the clicking of Gwen's heels as she followed her and caught up to her. She snagged Pandora's ponytail, bringing her backwards until they were facing one another.

"Do not ever do something stupid like this again, do you hear me?" Gwen snarled.

"I didn't do anything!" Pandora protested.

"Don't even try that," Gwen grumbled. "You were lucky I was here to clean up your mess, you stupid girl. Wake up and realize that you have everything you need. Stop taking it all for granted and do what is expected of you." She stormed off, leaving Pandora standing alone, blinking back tears. Pandora decided in that moment that she hated Gwen, more than she had ever thought possible.

The rest of the weekend went by slowly and painfully. Pandora avoided Gwen at all costs, holing herself up in her room and pretending to do homework. Every time she saw her father she faked the good daughter routine, acting like she was just so studious! As Pandora got herself ready to leave that Sunday for Hogwarts, her father gave her a tearful hug.

"Your mother would be proud of the woman you are becoming, Pandora Clara." He whispered in her ear. Pandora bit back a sob. She gave Gwen a quick, rushed hug just for appearances and threw the floo powder down, traveling back to Hogwarts immediately. As she walked up to her room, she felt the emotions from the weekend taking a toll on her. She reached her bed and flopped onto it, letting the tears flow freely now, as she cried about the events that had occurred but most of all, the knowledge that the woman she was becoming was nothing like her mother and wouldn't make anyone proud; especially not her.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry ran his hands through Pandora's hair, a small smile on his lips. She leaned over and kissed him gently. They gazed at one another, smiling uncontrollably. Her eyes traced the hinge of his jawline, the curve of his lips as her fingers trailed down his back, touching him just to touch him. He cupped her face and kissed her, small kisses over and over again, just to kiss her.

Every free moment they had they snuck off to spend time together. They would meet up and escape from reality to be with one another. It was better than reality; they were in heaven, high off one another, addicted to the other's presence. They spoke about classes, grades and friends; but then they talked about life, religion, nature, fears, dreams and more. He told her things he had only thought in private, things he thought he would never share with a soul. She told him secrets she had kept bottled up for what felt like forever. As they talked, it was like they had known each other all along.

"I've never been good enough," Pandora confided in him one night, her eyes shining with tears that had yet to fall. "No matter what I do, it's like I just can't reach the expectations set out for me. I try… Trust me. I try so hard. But it's never enough." Harry traced the curve of her back as she spoke, his touch comforting.

"I think you're trying to be someone that you're not," he whispered, kissing her. "You have this idea of who you're supposed to be and what you have to do, but you really don't. It's your life. You can live it how you want to, you know?"

"Maybe," she mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Hey," he reached over and tipped her chin up so she had to look him in the eyes. "You're great. Amazing, actually. You're probably the best person I know. And I'm crazy about you." They kissed and kissed.

That next day, they were together again. Harry leaned over to reach for a sip of water then curled back up against Pandora. They hadn't moved from his bed for hours. He traced the curve of her back as she told him stories of her childhood; of the magical things she had done with her parents meanwhile he detailed the horrors of his past. She was empathetic but not sympathetic; she did not treat him like someone she pitied. She understood how he felt, alone and confused. The two bonded over secrets they hadn't ever shared with anyone, not even their closest friends. As the hours flew by the two continued to talk, to kiss, and to hold one another.

"I have two weeks until the third task," he whispered after a moment of comfortable silence. Despite the fact that he knew he was safe, with Pandora in his arms, he still felt the paralyzing fear beginning to creep up into his mind. He had pushed it down for as long as he could but suddenly it was upon him.

"Don't be afraid," she kissed him softly, reading his mind. "You're stronger than you think."

"People actually think I'll win," he replied, breathless from both the fear and the feelings he had for her.

"And you don't?" She pulled back to stare into his eyes.

"No," he admitted. "How could I? I'm a fourth year. The others can cast spells I have never even heard of."

"You're incredible. You've done so well even for a competitor, let alone a fourth year. You need to stop being so hard on yourself." She kissed his neck in between words.

"I'm just worried I'll prove everyone who believes in me wrong. Or worse, right." He shook his head. "I know, it's odd."

"And understandable," she leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. "I know what it feels like to feel as though you're constantly trying to prove yourself. Like you're just feeding into what they say. But none of that matters. The question is, do you want to win?"

"I don't know."

"And that's okay," she told him. "That's okay."

"You're amazing," he said suddenly. "I can't believe I met someone who gets me the way you do. It sounds lame, I know. But, Pandora, you make me feel like all of this doesn't matter. Like, as long as I have you by my side I can be whoever I want to be…because I know you'll accept me no matter what I do, no matter how I act. You don't expect me to be something I'm not. You don't refer to me as chosen or famous. You see me as Harry. Just Harry."

"You're a lot more than just Harry," she was grinning uncontrollably. "You're smart, loyal, honest, not too bad looking," she winked and he laughed at that.

"Oh, thanks so much," he teased.

"You're welcome," her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. "But, Harry. You're wonderful the way you are. I don't expect you to be anything but yourself. That's good enough for me."

"You make me so happy," he ran his hands through her hair, kissing her deeply and sincerely. "So happy. Pandora I—" The door suddenly creaked open. Pandora leapt out of bed and lunged for the invisibility cloak Harry kept in the back of his closet. She pulled it over herself in an instant, just in time in fact, as Ron walked into the room.

"Sup Harry," Ron mumbled in between mouthfuls of food. Harry looked worriedly in Pandora's direction, then back to Ron.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Third task is comin' up soon,"

"Yeah,"

"You nervous?"

"Little bit,"

"Ah, no reason to be. You're already in the lead. You just got Diggory to beat. You'll be fine," Ron grunted.

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Oi, you know if Hermionie and Krum are still seeing each other?" he suddenly asked. Harry shrugged in response, then looked curiously at Ron.

"Why are you asking?"

"Just wanted to see if she was fraternizing with the enemy, you know? That's not good sportsmanship. Or whatever." He looked visibly uncomfortable. "I gotta go. I've got to-er-study." He left rather abruptly. Pandora waited a few seconds before whipping the cloak off of her.

"That was a close one," Harry sighed, smiling at her.

"I thought for a moment he might've seen me," she giggled nervously.

"Nah, we're totally fine. He has no idea. Neither of them do," he grinned. The inflection of his voice was pure joy, complete relief. For some reason, it made Pandora slightly annoyed.

"No idea at all?" she asked, her inflection rising.

"None!" Harry responded blissfully, ignorant to the anger sparking on her face.

"And what if they did know? What would you do then?" she asked.

"Uh…I dunno," he looked at her stupidly, as if he was just thinking of it.

"Well what's going to happen when you do tell them?"

"Er…what?"

"When you tell your best friends that you've been hanging out with—snogging—a Slytherin girl?"

"I didn't…I didn't think we were going to tell them," he stammered.

"Oh, so we're just never going to tell anyone? We will just forever be each other's little secret?"

"Have you told your friends?" he countered.

"Well, no," she hesitated.

"Why's that?"

"Well…because, they wouldn't…. I don't know. They would judge. They wouldn't understand." She babbled, her hands reaching out to encompass some stray thought, idea, but nothing was there. Her hands, out in empty space, slowly fell back down to her sides. Harry looked her quietly for a minute, his eyes sad and understanding. He took her empty hands into his.

"For now, this is what's best." He said solemnly. She nodded. "One day, we will tell them. But things are complicated right now. There's so much going on…"

"One day," she agreed, squeezing his hands. "When things aren't so complicated."


	14. Chapter 14

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled at the target, shooting it back. He continued practicing spells; his eyes squinted behind his glasses as he practiced. He had been practicing for hours since his time with Ron and Hermione but he still felt like he was ridiculously unprepared. Pandora uneasily entered the courtyard. He had invited her to come over an hour ago yet was still casting spells and practicing. The third task was a week away and his nerves were getting the best of him.

"Harry?" she called out, her voice wavering. She did not want to break his concentration. But as she called out his name he missed his target and cursed loudly, his face scrunching up in anger. He gripped his wand tighter and began to cast more spells, his eyes trained on the target.

"Expulso!" he shouted, shooting out a ray of blue and causing the target to explode.

"Harry," she approached him more purposefully now. "Harry, I think it's time you took a break," he ignored her, casting more spells. His hand cramped from clutching his wand so tightly but he continued, his mind filled with the spells that he hoped would not only win the tournament but save his life. She reached out and touched his shoulders. He spun around to face her, his wand in her face and his mouth open as though he were about to curse her. She flung herself back, shocked.

"I'm—I'm sorry—" he sputtered as his face filled with horror at his actions.

"For Merlin's sake, Harry!" she shrieked as he pocketed his wand.

"You appeared out of nowhere!" he accused.

"I've been standing her for over an hour!"

"I was deep in practice!"

"You need a break," she insisted.

"Champions don't take breaks."

"You won't be a champion if you don't get any rest."

"I can't rest. I'm not ready." He sighed, rolling his eyes at her insolence.

"Staying up for hours practicing the same spells won't get you ready."

"You don't know anything!" he snarled.

"Oh, don't I? I know you're stressed but Harry, all you're doing is overworking yourself and—"

"Just leave me alone!" He yelled, his shoulders tense and his jaw tight. She lurched back, stunned.

"Fine, I will," she spat, spinning on her heel and storming off. She had almost reached the edge of the courtyard when he called her name, his voice choked and broken. She turned to face him, ready to yell. But then she saw the way he had curled up his body, weak and tired, his eyes watery and his head bowed.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice cracked and on the verge of a sob. "I'm just…I'm so stressed, Pandora. I need you right now. I just really need you right now." She rushed over to him, pulling him close to her.

"I'm here, Harry," she whispered fiercely. "I'm here."

That night, as she prepared herself to go to bed and thought about the day's events, Harry's breakdown, and her feelings for him that consumed her more than she realized, she found herself stopping mid movement, freezing in time as her thoughts drifted. Where was this going? Where could it go? She didn't know. But all she knew was the wherever she decided to go, she desperately wanted him to come with her. She made the decision that night that no matter the twists or turns that were sure to approach and no matter the obstacles that would definitely appear, she would stay by his side through it all. He needed. And, she realized, she needed him.

Her owl appeared in her window, snapping her back to reality. (Was it reality, though?) She absentmindedly took the letter located in the owls mouth, giving him a little snack before waving him off so she could read. She opened the parcel, her mind on other things, until it all came to a halt as she recognized her father's hasty scrawl. _Come home, immediately. It is time._

She had let go of the note before she realized it. It fluttered to the ground then self-destructed. She winced at the small explosion, then looked around her room. A feeling of nostalgia for a moment that hadn't even passed yet came over her. She stayed frozen. She felt like once she moved, things would forever change. But they already had. She knew that things as they were now would never be the same. It was time. She had begun to retrieve her floo powder before she knew what she was doing. It was time. She had been preparing for this since birth. Yet even after all this time, she was not ready. She doubted if she ever would have been.


	15. Chapter 15

Pandora brushed her hair slowly. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was the same girl. Her eyes were the same electric blue. But they lacked the sparkle they had possessed before. Before. The word sounded so ominous, so faraway. She had been a whole new person Before. Now she was someone else.

Someone else that still had some of the same feelings from Before. These feelings made her stomach lurch, as she knew that they would need to disappear, and fast. She brushed her hair again. She had probably been brushing it for over an hour. But she didn't care. It had been two hours since she had returned back to Hogwarts. She knew the last challenge was today. She knew it started soon and that she should be there, in the crowd, watching. But she stood there, brushing her hair, ignoring the nagging tugging at her bones. She wanted to scream, she wanted to tear her hair out at its roots. But she continued to brush.

"Are you ready to go yet?" Viola asked, appearing out of nowhere. Pandora jumped, shocked. "My Merlin, you're jumpy today," she commented.

"I'm good," Pandora answered quickly.

"Well then if you could stop acting like someone cursed your dog, can we leave?" Viola was still irritated about Bridgett. Bridgett hadn't gotten well and it worried Pandora. But she had bigger things to fret about.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up with you later," Pandora said.

"Fine," Viola strutted out without so much as a backwards glance. Pandora sighed. Too many thoughts and emotions were tumbling over one another in the ocean that was currently her mind. She felt exhausted, though she hadn't done much besides brush her hair. She had a feeling that this feeling would last her a while, though.

Finally, she got herself to walk to the stadium. She felt at any moment she would vomit. Her knees were weak and every fiber in her being was bellowing at her to stop, cease walking, turn the hell around and run far, far away. But her movements were mechanical and soon enough she was in the throng of people, casting noise spells and chattering away, waiting for the start of the challenge. She tried to find a seat but so many people surrounded her and she felt as though she were being suffocated. She fought her way out of the crowd, running towards the outside of the stadium. She just needed air.

"Pandora," his voice made her want to weep. Harry peered at her from behind a tent where all of the other champions were presumably waiting. He walked out anyways, entrapping her into a hug. She couldn't breathe. His familiar scent and secure, safe grip made her feel like she was a caged animal.

"Hey," her voice was low, monotone. She knew she was playing a part.

"I haven't seen you," he said quietly, pulling apart to look at her. She avoided his gaze.

"I've been busy," she responded tersely.

"I see…" he looked at her quizzically but didn't call her out on her brevity. A trumpet sounded in the distance.

"You should probably go," she told him, gently. She ached to reach out and pull him close, to beg him not to go out there. The secret she kept was on the tip of her tongue, twisting it and turning it, threatening to slip out. She dug her nails into her palms to stop herself. The events of the past few days were replaying over and over again in her mind though she had sworn herself to secrecy about them. Where did her loyalty lie? She looked at him, so trusting in her, so brave, so honest. And here she was, omitting the truth, keeping something from him that she knew in her heart was not something to keep. If she loved him, she should tell him.

She cleared her throat, opened her mouth. But, did she love him? Was this love? She hadn't known him that long; that was true. But he consumed every thought she had. He made her feel things she hadn't known were possible to feel. He showed her the light in all of the darkness that had devoured her life. He was her source of joy, of security, of peace. She was more herself with him than she had ever been. His kisses were her drug, his touch her addiction. He made her feel like she could do anything, be anyone.

But she couldn't be his. And that was when she realized, it didn't matter whether or not she loved him. What mattered was that she could not love him. So instead of telling him the words she wished more than anything she could say, she kissed him. He kissed her back, putting his all into it.

"I'll see you later," he told her as she silently told him goodbye. He reached down to take her hand to bring it to his lips. At the last moment he glanced at her wrist.

"What is this?" He asked, reaching to pull up her sleeve.

"Just a bruise," she responded quickly, yanking her arm back. "I banged my arm while trying to make too many potions at once."

"My free elf, always overworking yourself," he chuckled. Her heart hurt.

"You should go," she told him again, her voice rising with panic. She needed him to leave now before she broke down. He nodded silently and kissed her again. And then he left. She watched him walk away. Right before he entered the tent, he looked back at her. His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her. He waved, then mouthed, _I'll see you after._ Her throat was so dry and she knew her voice would crack if she tried to reply. So she didn't. She raised her good arm, the one not blemished, and waved. When he retreated back into the tent, she turned around to face away. She then pulled up her sleeve and gazed down at the "bruise". She shuddered with horror as her eyes traced the familiar etchings, the criss-cross of black stain that was the Dark Mark.


	16. Chapter 16

Everyone was cheering. Pandora was screaming. No one paid attention. She saw Harry stagger out of the maze, his legs weak and his arms full of Cedric Diggory's dead body. She watched as everyone realized what was going on, as the music stopped, as the cheers became screams, as everyone crowded, confused and scared. She looked down at her Dark Mark, alive and moving. It was time.

She saw Mad Eye Moody stumble over to Harry, gripping him by the neck and yanking him away. She found herself screaming his name, her voice hoarse and cracked. She clawed her way through the crowd, trying to get to him, to warn him; something she should've done long before. But the crowd swallowed her and he was gone. She reached out into thin air, her fingers trying to grasp the vanished boy that she had fallen in love with. Her efforts were futile. She knew all was lost. It was time.

Her mind filled with hysteria. She told herself she had to think clearly. She couldn't directly intervene; she knew that. But maybe, just maybe, she could lend a helping hand. She shoved her way through the masses, her eyes searching for someone specific. When she found him, she forced her way past the professors and adults trying to stop her and grabbed him by the robe, her eyes wild. He turned around, expecting someone of importance but only seeing her, this petite, blonde, Slytherin girl with wild eyes.

In one breath, she said, "You need to go find Harry." Dumbledore took one look at her disheveled appearance, the fear so apparent in her eyes, and opened his mouth to respond. But before he could, she held out her wrist. His eyes widened as he saw the active Dark Mark on her wrist. He nodded solemnly and left her standing in the crowd.

Harry was passed out in the hospital bed. Pandora silently padded over, spotting the black dog perched on his bed. The dog appeared as though it were standing guard; that was how she knew it wasn't merely any dog. She silently cast a spell to turn herself invisible. She knew she didn't have much time.

She didn't need him to wake up or even to tell her what had happened. She already knew, had known all along. She looked at his perfect, peaceful face as he slept. She had overheard the nurses saying he would be okay in time. But that wasn't reassuring. It just meant that she would have to see him again. He would want answers that she could not give. He would need her in a way that she could not provide.

She sat on the edge of his bed, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that this was the last time she would most likely ever have with him. It was too dangerous now. It probably always had been. She ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she whispered quietly, so that no one else but his unconscious mind could hear her. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the girl you needed and I'm sorry I couldn't love you the way I should. I'm sorry we will never get to be like this again. I'm sorry for all the promises I know I will break." She continued to run her hands through his hair and soon enough she was singing, low and soft. Even in his unconsciousness, Harry heard her. He couldn't decipher who she was. He began to stir. She felt him move and leaned over, gave him a soft kiss, then disparated. When he finally awoke, he thought about it for a moment, but just a moment. Then he determined it to be nothing more than a dream.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

It takes twenty-one days to develop a habit. Pandora couldn't remember where she learned that, but she repeated that to herself every day that summer as a mantra. Twenty-one days of not thinking about him and she would never do it again. She thought it would be easy; she had enough to think about for that summer. Yet somehow, in between every secret meeting, behind every closed door, he surged through her thoughts and burst through the walls she had so painstakingly constructed the night before and soon enough she was bent over in tears, bawling her eyes out as she collapsed into her misery and self-hatred.

Her father mistook her tears for fear. He consoled her at first, reminding her of the great things they were soon to accomplish. But after a while he grew weary of her emotions and, inevitably, of her. He cast her off with Narcissa Malfoy, who was equally as broken, and the two sat on couches not meant for sitting and didn't speak, merely twiddled their thumbs and waited for everyone to finish planning.

There was a lot of planning that had been going on lately. It seemed like there was a plan for everything; Pandora could hardly go out without her father sitting her down and discussing the logistics, the motions, the pieces and parts of her plans for the night. She hardly saw her friends… not like they cared.

She tried to avoid the newspapers. She had seen Harry's face plastered over every single cover with words that nearly shattered her heart. She skipped over the words "disappeared" and "missing" as she also taught herself not to look over at the same wizards these articles were written about, trapped in her living room.

One night, her father came into her room. She had been reading the paper, despite telling herself she wouldn't, and pools of tears had collected at the bottom of the moving picture of Harry. She wiped away her tears hastily and pretended she had not been crying. Her father pretended not to notice.

"I know you've done a lot of observing the past few months," he began.

"I won't say anything, Father. I know the drill," she responded quickly, wishing to be alone.

"Good," he took a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was about to say. "But it's time you stopped just observing."

"Titus!" Viola squealed, flicking her hair back and batting her eyes at the Slytherin boy across from her. Titus, a rather daft fellow, simply looked at her in his usual confused, spacey way as she flirted. Bridget made eye contact with Pandora and grinned, rolling her eyes. Pandora chuckled in response. Bridget had recuperated and was now back to her usual, hardworking self. She had forgiven Pandora almost instantaneously, attributing it to a one-time mistake and urging her to not give it another thought. Pandora had agreed but secretly harbored a small obsession with the events of that day. She replayed the scenes to herself over and over again, the mixing, the brewing, and the adding. She couldn't remember what she had mixed, what she had created. She had sworn to herself, standing in that hospital room the night Bridget had nearly died, that she would never brew another potion again.

She almost didn't, in fact, for the entire summer. She stayed far away from her cauldron, threw her potion books out, and was steering clear of anything related to herbs or ingredients. But then the storm came, the trouble began and she knew she had no choice in the matter. Soon enough she was using her skills for potions much darker than relaxation brews…

"We'll be right back," Viola murmured, bringing Pandora back out of her reverie. Viola and Titus disappeared.

"Seriously?" Megan, a different Slytherin girl, began laughing once Viola had left.

"Are you surprised?" Olivia, another girl sneered. The boys, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle and Maxwell all snickered. Pandora cast a worried glance over at Bridget but suddenly her face was stolid and her eyes were focused on her nails.

"She's been with nearly every guy at Hogwarts," Maxwell, a boy who's mouth was probably bigger than a lot of this other body parts, informed everyone.

"She's the biggest slut I've ever met," Megan said. Pandora got up abruptly and began to storm out.

"Hey," Bridget stopped her, reaching an arm out.

"Are you just going to sit here and listen to this?" Pandora snapped.

"It's not like it isn't true, Pandora." Bridget said. "We're her friends."

"Exactly, we're her friends. So shouldn't we be standing up for her?"

"She does it to herself," Bridget responded quickly, averting her eyes. "Just sit down, Pandora. Relax. We'll stop talking about it." Pandora realized everyone was staring at her, eyes wide. She sat down quickly, feigning a smile.

"So," Bridget said with a big grin. "What did everyone do this summer?"

"I went traveling with my aunt," Megan twirled her long blonde hair around her finger as she spoke. "We saw so many amazing sights and I made so many connections, it was wonderful. I plan on continuing my travels once again at some point or another,"

"Well I got to intern at my mother's company," Olivia interrupted, a sly smile on her face. "I even got to go to some of the party events. I met multiple business contacts and got to have a first hand look at all of the…scandals,"

"Sounds loads better than my summer," Bridget joked. "What about you, Pandora?"

"Oh, um, I worked at my father's shop." Pandora stammered. There was a pause as everyone waited for her to elaborate.

"And…how was that?" Bridget asked.

"It was fine. The usual." She answered quickly, her hands sweating. Everyone looked at her strangely for a moment, regarding her unusual quietness, then resumed the conversation. Pandora sighed with relief at having the attention be off her. She felt as though she had dealt with enough unwanted attention over the past summer; just the thought of all of the things she had done this summer made her skin crawl and her legs shake. She felt the flower of change blooming inside of her; she was far past the girl she had been the year before at school. Something inside her had broken; and the pieces had been lost somewhere along the way and a new form had taken shape inside of her. She was not who she used to be; not even close.

"That's what happened to him! I swear! To Harry!" Pandora nearly flew out of her chair as she snapped back to attention.

"Potter?" she asked involuntarily, her heart beating against her ribcage, crashing against the bones as so many thoughts, emotions, and memories flooded into her like a tsunami.

"He's been expelled," Maxwell announced proudly.

"It's true," Megan grinned at her knowledge. "My aunt works in the ministry, she says he's got a hearing but he's absolutely kicked out of Hogwarts."

"Good riddance, Potter," Draco laughed. The entire group followed. Pandora coughed out a few laughs as she tried to disguise the sound of her heart cracking.


	18. Chapter 18

Despite the familiar surroundings, Pandora felt like she was somewhere she had never been before. Waves of nostalgia hit her harder than ever before as she walked through the halls of Hogwarts, telling herself not to look for him but finding herself gazing at every person who walked by. She prayed the rumors weren't true; he couldn't have been expelled. When she saw the bushy hair of Hermione Granger, she nearly cursed aloud as she realized she had never been happier to see her.

Yet as her eyes traced the outline of the red, wild hair that belonged to Harry's best friend, she saw no Harry. Her pounding, throbbing heart ached within her as her steps grew slower, heavier. Beads of perspiration dotted on her brow. He really was gone.

She shuffled along and throughout her day mechanically, because as long as she dulled the emotions, she could not feel them wrenching into her very being. She went through her classes with a blank stare, her focus on the cracks in the walls, the whip of others' wands, anything and everything but the feeling that threatened to crush her at any moment. As she settled into her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she seriously considered skipping, something she had never done before in her entire career at Hogwarts. But nothing seemed better to her in that moment than cuddling into bed, tears sliding down her face and succumbing to the pain that was filling her like a rising bathtub.

She heard him before she saw him. She was so engrossed in her blankness, in her emptiness that she hadn't noticed him slip in, hadn't notice him scribbling away, his disdain at the book he received, his eyes flitting across the room at the ridiculous professor adorned in pink. She hadn't noticed until she heard him speak up, heard him address the professor directly and ask about how they would learn without using magic. Pandora's eyes reached him and absorbed him hungrily, a perfect image that immediately made her perk up, catch her breath and widen her eyes all in one breath. The professor, a short plump woman with a vicious smirk, began to argue with Harry. The words were trivial, Pandora just wanted to stare at Harry and willed him to look at her. His gaze was leveled at Dolores Umbridge, however, whether because he was too focused on the conversation or avoiding her, though, she couldn't tell.

"Lord Voldemort perhaps?" the last part of his statement caught her off guard, similarly to her fellow peers. Everyone collectively gasped. A more furious argument ensued. Pandora felt herself chewing on her lip. She had heard the rumors, heard what people had said about Harry and his claims. In all her heart, she begged to tell him what she knew, how she knew. But she couldn't. This fact alone cut into her deeper than any pain, and as she drew blood from biting on her lip too hard, she felt nothing. All she could feel was the shame that made her shoulders cave in, her breathing shallow; despite wanting nothing more than to see Harry for all those months, she found herself looking away from him.

When she heard Umbridge pronounce his detention sentence, she quivered. When class ended and he stood up, huffing and angry, she couldn't move. She watched as others passed her, no one stopping to see the paralyzed girl who couldn't look up. As he walked past her, he kept his eyes on the floor as well, though she saw his glance flicker ever so faintly. She reached out before she knew she was doing it; her hand grazed his shoulder, barely reaching his skin beneath his robe. She touched him for merely a second and let her hand linger for a second too long, as though she had forgotten its purpose. He looked up and met her unsure eyes with a cruel, neutral stare. He shook her from his shoulder and sauntered out.

Harry hadn't heard from Pandora the entire summer. He had done his fair share of questioning, practically sending Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia into a fierce rage as he checked and rechecked his mail, even stopping to ask Dobby if he had interfered or "tried to save his life" yet again. But alas, all signs pointed to the fact that Pandora had made no effort to correspond. He had written her at least dozens of times, always filling the pages with his scraggly writings of daily activities, daily thoughts and musings, always ending each letter with the same words, _I miss you. Yours, Harry._ But she hadn't responded once. Even through the craziness, the nightmares, the secret meetings, he had heard nothing. Was she not aware of the pain he was in, the constant heaviness that had permanently settled onto his weak shoulders? He was so close to cracking he could feel it in his core, and with a simple touch on his shoulder he felt a shiver. She hadn't forgotten about him, so it seemed. She had simply chose to ignore him. Somehow, that hurt even worse.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

As she sat over the bubbling cauldron, her focus was impenetrable. A student could have sent off a thousand Weasley products in the corridor and she still wouldn't have looked up. Despite having sworn to herself she never would again, Pandora was concocting yet another potion for Bridget.

"Last one, I swear," Bridget had crossed her heart with her fingers upon Pandora's immediate refusal. "I'm just stressing so much, P. I need a little pick me up. That'll be it, I promise." Pandora wavered, and upon seeing her hesitation, Bridget pestered and begged until she finally gave in. And here she was, sitting in an empty corridor in the middle of the night cooking up a potion that would surely get her expelled. But being who she was had its perks, and she knew no one would stop to question her. As she picked up the glass vial to add the final ingredient, she heard footsteps down the hall. Even though she knew her reputation preceded her and no professor would probably stop her from her potion making, she still hesitated. When she saw Harry's gallant stride, his head bowed and his eyes, those beautiful eyes, so determined and searching, she couldn't catch her breath. He passed her quickly; it was as though he was never there. But her hands lost feeling and the glass vial shattered.

"Are you okay?" he was back in an instant, on his hands and knees picking up each glass shard like it was a piece of a pristine puzzle. His eyes were filled with such concern, such longing that she almost wept right there. But she regained her composure, shaking off her feelings like a shiver and looked down to try to wipe up the ingredient that was now seeping into the tile.

"Fine, sorry. Got distracted," she murmured before realizing what she was saying.

"So I'm a distraction, huh?" there was laughter in his voice, familiarity, friendliness, affection.

"If you didn't notice, it's almost the dead of night and I'm clearly breaking about ten school rules," she fired back, trying to appear her usual, confident self.

"Ah, you? A rule breaker? I'm shocked," he teased, looking up from the floor to make eye contact with her for the first time. She was so shocked by his eyes, by his electric gaze and the feelings they stirred within her that she didn't realize he had cut himself on the glass until she heard him wince. Apparently he had been too caught up in the stare as well.

"Blood," she assessed mechanically. She was reaching for her wand and his hand without realizing it. The second she touched his wrist she shivered, but she kept her face neutral as she pushed up his sleeve to repair the cut. He began to protest but she shushed him as she opened her mouth to perform a healing spell. But her voice caught in her throat when she took in the marks on his hand. _I must not tell lies._

"I'm a klutz," he said hastily, yanking his hand away and pulling up his sleeve. She sat there, wand poised and her mouth still open. His eyebrows raised at her and she snapped her jaw shut and put her wand down quickly.

"Were you—did you—" she couldn't form words. All she could think was that someone had hurt Harry, her Harry, hurt him and she had to figure out who it was so she could kill them.

"Detention's a bitch," he laughed, playing it off.

"Umbridge did this to you?" she hissed, her anger boiling. This bitch would get it, she decided. She immediately began plotting how to concoct a projectile vomiting drink, perhaps a diarrhea one while she was at it—

"It's whatever," he shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"It's not whatever," she insisted. "We have to get even."

"We?" he scoffed. "Since when do you care? It's not like you, I dunno, wrote to me or anything." She felt a pang in her gut. So much for avoiding him and _this._

"I've been busy all summer helping my father," that part wasn't a lie, though she was speaking rapidly to avoid any questions being interjected. "He's been grooming me to take over, the store I mean, and he's had me doing odd jobs and all that so I can be totally prepared for when I have to take it over." He looked as though he wasn't paying attention. She felt fire rising within her. Though she had planned on never speaking to him again, she felt the surging need for him to believe her, to forgive her, overpowering her common sense. "I read your letters—every single one. I felt your pain, heard your words in your voice and I wanted to write back, honest, I just really didn't have the time,"

"Somehow," he drawled his voice filled with venom, "that doesn't make it any better."

"It's my _family,"_ she emphasized helplessly. "My father needed me so I was there."

"Well I'm glad you're living up to the family name," he huffed.

"Well I'm glad you're living up to your bad boy reputation," she shot back.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, please, the boy who put his name in the goblet of fire and won and now, the boy that almost got expelled." She filled each word with the same venom he had laced his words with. "Why were you doing magic in the presence of a muggle? Were you showing him who's boss? Picking on someone you could actually beat up?"

"It wasn't like that," his tone softened, his eyes taking on a dreamy, faraway look. "I didn't intend for it to happen. One second, we're talking, the next, the sky is dark and then a dementor appears… I had no choice. I had to fight."

"Oh, but Hogwarts bad boy isn't afraid of anything, especially not a dementor! What happy memories did he take? All those nights snogging with cho chang? God forbid!" she was on a roll. Though every fiber in her being screamed at her to stop, to just hug him close and never let him go, she knew she must continue. "What ever will Harry Potter have to rely on for happiness? The fleeting memory of his defeat of Lord Voldemort? The memory that two adult wizards couldn't take Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of our time, but Harry Potter, oh no, Harry Potter could, because he's such a bad boy!" He recoiled instantly, his face scrunching up with so much hurt that she almost choked on her own saliva as she hated them for forcing her, hated him for making it so difficult, hated herself most of all, for everything she couldn't be but wanted to so desperately be for everyone.

"Don't you ever reference my parents again," his voice was resolved, even, though his eyes were dangerous, filled with fire. "I was wrong about you. You're just like everyone else," and with that, he was off, gone so fast his scent lingered in her nostrils only for a second before it disappeared with him. She sat back against the wall and sighed. That was exactly what she had wanted; to be just like everyone else. She had ached for so many years to be told she was just like them, just like all the other Slytherins. She had questioned it so many times; it should have reassured her to hear it from him, to be told she was right where she belonged.

But as her body sank and her shoulders racked with silent sobs, she couldn't stop the thoughts from flashing through her mind: If this was what I wanted, why the hell does it feel so wrong?


	20. Chapter 20

Ch 20

The winter chill had set in and as the students at Hogwarts bundled up and prepared for the upcoming break, Pandora didn't reach for her scarf or gloves. She was numb to the cold; it had taken its resting place within her and didn't bother her anymore. After over a month, she had stopped hearing Harry call her in her dreams, had stopped glancing at him in class and even stopped imagining about fifty million different ways that night could have gone. She had got what she wanted; Harry no longer would come to her or see any reason to be with her at all. He would no longer trust her, gaze at her, wonder about her. He had proclaimed his final judgment. But in truth, it wasn't what she had wanted at all. That was irrelevant, however.

She had gotten so used to the numbness that it consumed her daily life. She no longer sat up and waited for Viola to sneak in at night to question her, instead overwhelmed with such paralyzing insomnia that she just didn't notice when Viola slipped back in from her dates, the stench of some stranger's cologne lingering on her clothing, the wobbly walk that almost always included knocking over a few items and the sighs of relief when she realized she hadn't woken anyone up. Pandora knew Viola was soiling her reputation with each nightly rendezvous; but she didn't have it in her to try to talk to her. She simply shut her eyes and tried to imagine a world where her voice was heard.

She also lacked the strength to even attempt to refuse Bridget when she asked for potion after potion. She just silently obliged, not even reaching for her potion book as, by now, she had mastered the potions Bridget so fervently desired. Her friends, if they noticed her change in demeanor, said nothing. They continued to talk at her, not to her, attributing her pale skin and lifeless eyes to overworking or overstressing. She nodded weakly at their halfhearted attempts to comfort her, then let her shoulders sag with relief when they inevitably steered the conversation back on themselves, uncomfortable with the thought that if they paused long enough, she might actually accept their offers of help.

Pandora liked to think of herself as a strong-willed individual. Yet with each day that passed, her resolve diminished little by little, and the desire to speak with Harry grew stronger and more plausible with each minute that ticked by. She saw him everywhere; it was like he did it on purpose. Yet, he hardly ever met her gaze and when he did, it was like he was looking at a stranger. Which, truthfully, he was; the Pandora he had known was gone. But for Merlin's sake, she ached to bring her back.

One night she followed him without realizing she was following him. The feeling that filled her was familiar but she couldn't name it; it was only after she watched doors appear before him, watched him enter a secret room that she was able to pronounce it's name: _purpose_. He had given her a purpose, though it was temporary. She waited until he reappeared later, desperate to hang onto this feeling, this purpose.

Others entered and others left. It was nearly dawn when he finally emerged, his eyes tired and body hunched, but still as beautiful as ever. She strutted out from her hiding spot and headed over to him, shocking both of them. He stopped in his tracks, a mixture of fear and curiosity freezing him in time.

"What are you doing?" she asked. He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it, knitting his brow in anger.

"What are _you_ doing?" he responded evenly, his eyes secretly tracing the curve of her lips, his heart pounding wildly, his mind racing with the desire to just grab her and kiss her right there. He had been thinking about her nonstop and hating himself for it; each night he taunted himself with images of her, knowing it would bring him solace from the nightmares but would inescapably bring about new ones.

"Is this like, some secret club?" she ignored his question, diverting it back to him. "You know, you all could get in trouble for this. If Umbridge found out—"

"In case you didn't realize, Pandora," her name in his mouth, filled with so much disdain, was so unlike every other time he had said it that it brought a stab to her chest. "This is none of your business. Whatever I do is _none of your business_." He turned at that, walking away before he broke inside and rushed to her, begging her to love him the way he knew in that moment that he loved her.

She waited every day to see him enter the secret room. The Room of Requirement, as she later learned it was called. She saw how Filch, Draco, and other Slytherins learned of its whereabouts and attempted to catch them in the act in order to report them. She threw them off multiple times, claiming she had seen them go that way, this way, heard they were meeting here, there, until finally Draco told her she better hex the person who gave her information, as they were a blubbering idiot. She smiled demurely in response, leaving him flushed and exhilarated without knowing why, but at least he was distracted and forgot for a moment his true purpose, allowing those inside the room adequate time to escape unseen.

It was right before winter break that she resolved to enter. She had been debating it for a while; it was clear Harry had not wanted to see her. But with each passing day, something new within her died. Even her passion for potion making had withered away to some desolate place. The only feeling that ignited any sort of emotion within her were those she still held for Harry. This kept her alive, her heart beating, and her mind focused and sharp. So on the last night she waited until she believed every other student had left the room and she walked towards the blank wall. She wasn't sure how exactly it worked; she just knew that it only lended itself to those who truly needed it. Despite not knowing if it would appear for her, she approached it with her heart full and her mind unwavering.

It appeared instantly. Her fingers quaked as she reached for the knob. She had no idea what she would say, how she would say it. But none of that was in her mind as she opened the door. All she could think was about his voice, his hands, his eyes, his longing; it all filled her to the brim like a glass of wine and she entered the room, her eyes filled with tears before she took in the scene before her. There, in the center of the room, stood Harry. But he was not alone. He was interlocked in a kiss with Cho Chang. Pandora stood for a moment taking in the scene and felt her body sag. Something within her broke free, spiraled out of control and crashed. It seemed like light years, though it was only seconds, and Pandora was out of the room before Harry or Cho Chang took in a breath.

Her motions were fluid like a machine. She was once again filled with the purpose. Her knock was hard, demanding to be heard. The door creaked open and Pandora found herself face to face with a grinning pile of pink.

"Professor Umbridge?" her voice was strong and confident, though she was anything but. "If you want information on Harry Potter and his secret club, I think you'd better go question Miss Cho Chang."


End file.
